Racing
by Callipio
Summary: Race is a rogue who stumbles upon Thunderclan by falling from the top of their camp's cliff. She survives only to meet an unpleasant cat named Jaypaw who, let's face it, desperately needs a girlfriend. This is the story of their unexpected love.
1. Chapter 1

I Always Liked Running

Is there a problem with running away from nothing? I mean, I am a perfectly nice cat. I haven't done anything to tick another rogue off, I haven't gotten into many fights, I don't have some top-secret evil past chasing after me, I'm just always on the run.

From what? I don't know. I can't seem to find a home. Mother died, well, not too long ago I guess. She used to be a vivid memory. Now, the only thing I can remember is her presence, the feeling I got when I was around her.

Two seasons have gone by since the night she caught the sickness. First she couldn't talk, and then she told me vaguely that she couldn't feel her paws. And then she tried to kill me. And then she just died. I ran after that. I tucked my short, boney, dust-colored tail down and ran for it. I didn't stop all night.

So like I said, I'm not running from anything. The seasons have made me stronger. It's not like I was weak when I was with Mother but I was only seven moons at the time. Now, I know how to fight well enough to give me a nice speck of time to make my getaway. Hunting I'm not so skilled at. I can catch a rabbit if I'm _really _lucky, but most of the time I have to rely on a stupid mouse to come blundering into my paws.

Hunting isn't everything though. Mother taught me a few this-and-that's about plants and which ones stem hunger. That's survival knowledge in the world of rogues.

It's close to the SnowFall now. I can smell it on the wind. Maybe in a few days I'll get lucky and find a place to hole out in for the long season. I love snow, but I don't love sleeping in it.

Today, I finally cleared this really big, flat, area. I had never seen anything like it before. The place was full of rocks and tufts of grass and lots of abandoned rabbit burrows. Today, just as the darkest part of sun-up came on, I managed to heave myself in one piece to the top of the hillside I had been climbing. What I saw up there I am still staring at now.

The ridge went all the way around in a sun-shaped circle, like the top of a water bowl. The ridge sloped downward gently and right in the very middle of the bowl was a shimmering lake which moved and lapped and whispered like a living thing. I was standing on the edge of a forest. On one side there's another expanse of grasses but it's not as broken up as the ones I just crossed. On the other side I can smell a stream somewhere amongst the great oaks. Beside the grassland there's a barn of some sort and I can tell from the distant smell of it that it's occupied by Two-Legers.

I narrowed my eyes in a weak effort to see across the lake but it was too dark out to see anything. Suddenly I found myself yawning, and with that came the familiar groan and ache of my light bones and muscles. _I hadn't realized I was this tired. _That's what happens when you're running. You forget to remember the reality of your own body.

My wavering paws led me down inside the edge of the trees. My nose led the way to the stream I had heard. When I found it, I lapped sluggishly at the snow-cold water. I stared at the water for a moment, focusing on the reflection of the cat staring back at me.

I know this is going to sound stupid but I hate my nose. My fur is dust brown with intermixing, wave-like white stripes. My nose is the same brown, maybe lighter, but right in the corner there is this really annoying splotch of white. It looks so, so, _deformed. _When you're a rogue, looking strange does _not _help your life expectancy. Probably the only thing to distract cats from the nose is my eyes. They are light amber with dark flecks of brown and I think they're a little too big for my face.

I stared at myself, at my small ears, the small scar on the top of my muzzle, my _nose. _Suddenly I realized just how small and insignificant I was. You forget about your worthlessness when you run too long, too.

Head down and tail dragging in the dirt, I continued deep into the forest. I wanted to hide in the dark somewhere. Just curl up and sleep, maybe dream. Then tomorrow morning I guess I'll explore the place more and find somewhere to stay for the winter. Maybe that barn could help me out…

I found a warm place between two knarled tree roots, curled up, and fell asleep at my third heartbeat.

_-Dawn Patrol, Lionpaw's POV-_

Ashfur's tail on my shoulder drew me back yet again. I held in my frustrated growl and pulled back. _What's the point of going on dawn patrol if you're going to take two moons to complete it?_

Recently, there seemed to be a _lot _of holding back in the Clans. The trip to the mountains was still embedded in my mind. _There, at least, I could do something interesting. _I just wished there would be a battle soon. What with ShadowClan becoming independent all of a sudden, tensions are _bound_ to amount to something.

And what about that Sol guy? Wasn't he supposed to be teaching us or something? What good has _he_ done since he came here?

All of a sudden a strange cat small wafted into my nose. I froze and sniffed a couple of times. Ashfur stopped too, tail twitching angrily.

"What now?"

I sniffed again then announced, "There's a trespasser on our territory."

Ashfur, Sandstorm, and Honeypaw all raised their noses to the breeze. A flame of anger ignited in my gut, _just trust me! _I yowled in my mind.

Ashfur took the lead, slinking up behind a big oak and motioning for Sandstorm and her apprentice to go the other way. I followed close behind Ashfur, hackles rising in excitement. It smelled like a fight was about to go on.

Ashfur poked his head above a root jutting unnaturally from the ground. The stranger's scent was really strong now.

_We must be right on top of him!_

With a yowl, Ashfur launched himself over the root. There was an answering caterwaul from the unlucky cat beneath him. I skidded around the root just in time to see the stranger-cat twist out of Ashfur's paws and hurtle right into Honeypaw. Honeypaw hissed and bowled the cat over. I twitched on the sidelines, waiting for a chance to get in on the fight.

_-Stranger's POV-_

When someone attacks you when you're asleep, the one thing I usually do is scratch and run. Unfortunately, with the tree behind me, and four angry cats in front, it seemed like I was trapped. My fur stuck on end. I glanced wearily around for an escape root. A male cat's snarl drew my head back around.

"Can I chase her out, Ashfur?" the tom-cat glared at me.

_Great, _I thought. _Just what I need, a cat who wants nothing more than to see me run. Well, he'll see that soon enough._

"Hold on there," the oldest of the four spoke. She was a she-cat the color of sand with specks of darker colored sand in her pelt. She looked moderately controlled, at least.

_Relax. _I forced my ears up and my fur flat. I retracted my claws and curled my tail calmly around them. Using the upmost care and respect I mewed quietly, "I'm sorry. I didn't know this forest belonged to you. I was going to leave in the morning after I slept. I'll leave now and you won't see a whisker of me again."

I'd come in contact with territorial cats before. I'd long since learned to smell for them but I guess I'd been too exhausted to notice. Cats as organized as this pack must be careful enough to leave scent-markers.

Three of the cats relaxed. That tom before still stood alert. I wondered if he was going to attack me anyway.

"You're a little small to be on your own," the she-cat said slowly.

I could see what she was getting at. "I'm sorry," I repeated. "Take my word, there's no one with me."

"She's a rogue," the feisty tom from before spat. "Why should we trust her word?"

"Calm down Lionpaw," the older tom soothed. "She's barely as old as you, I don't think she's any threat to us, do you?" Lionpaw didn't reply.

_What a strange name, _I thought. _Lion, I can understand but "paw?"_

"Then, I guess we'll just let you go." The she-cat sounded uncertain about letting me leave. I didn't really want to leave either and briefly considered begging to them to let me sleep here for the day, but I'm not so sure that would receive the best reaction…

"What?" Lionpaw yowled. "We're just going to let her go?"

I'm starting to lose my patience with this tom.

"Lionpaw," the she-cat started.

I tried to make my escape then, so that I didn't have to hear the heated fight about to take place.

"Look!" he called. "She's trying to get away!"

I turned on him; a hot retort already at my lips before three claws dug into my ear and dragged themselves across the side of my face. I yowled in pain and launched myself at him, claws unsheathed.

He darted away and bowled me over. I leaned up and snapped my jaws hard around his forepaw before it could inflict any more damage. He screeched and started to wriggle frantically to get out of my grasp. One of his back legs kicked my stomach, knocking the breath out of me and releasing Lionpaw's leg.

I scrambled up and darted away in the few breaths he took to regain his balance. I leapt over the roots and raced through the undergrowth, intent on getting as far away from that psychotic cat as I could. I could hear their pawsteps drumming after me, getting fainter and fainter as time went by. Without slowing I turned to look behind me. Suddenly my whiskers alerted me of something ahead.

There was a bush directly in my path, a whole line of them in fact. It would take too much time to go around so I jumped-

And all of a sudden I swear I was flying, until I started falling. I scrabbled for the edge of the cliff desperately. My claws tore at rock and my descent slowed by the smallest of heartbeats. Then my flank struck a large rock and I spun three times in the air before landing heavily on the ground.

For a moment, I wavered in and out of blackness. And then I blinked and forced myself to stay awake. I couldn't feel any pain, which was strange. I could move my paws though, that was good. I tried to heave myself up and then rolled over again, ripples of agony forcing me to moan out loud.

_Well, at least if I die, I won't have to worry about finding a place for the SnowFall. _

Up until now, I had never wondered where I would go when I die. I guess I'll find out pretty soon, huh?

I closed my eyes and relaxed for a moment, thinking about all the things I wouldn't have to worry about anymore.

Then, another yowl woke me up from my happy dream.

"A cat just fell out of the sky!"

"Nonsense, she fell off the top of the ridge. Cats don't fall from the sky."

"What clan is she from?"

"Is she dead?"

A nose poked my hurt flank. I groaned, "Oww…"

"Listen, cat, you, what's your name?" this new cat seemed to be addressing me.

"I…I don't…have one." I murmured into the sand.

"Of course you do. What did someone call you once?" This cat sounded impatient. I wondered if this was the question I would have to answer before I could die.

"Ah…Race. Once someone called me Race." No, okay, no one called me race. Some cat yowled at me to _race_ them, but I'd never been called anything.

"Okay then Race, I'm Leafpool. We're going to give you some seeds that will make you sleep so that we can heal you, okay?"

_Who's we? _A leaf was shoved under my nose. I opened my eyes and sniffed at them. "Poppy," I muttered before licking them up slowly.

This time, the impatient cat let me fall asleep.

**A/N- Read and review if you like. The next chapter's here so feel free to go on.**


	2. Chapter 2

Okay, So, Maybe Death Isn't High Up on My List of Things to Experience…

I didn't wake up because I wanted to. I woke up because the sun was shining right in my eyes. I raised my head up into a shaft of shadow and glared at the light. I yawned and then sniffed, and then I remembered.

I don't panic in bad situations, or good ones for that matter. I hardly ever panic when no one's attacking me. My head swiveled around. I was in a cave of some sort with its own little pool of water in it. Across from me, on the other side of the pool, there was a crack in the wall that smelled strongly of musk and plants. I sniffed at my fur trying to figure out what they'd done to me.

There was some sharp-smelling plant rubbed into the skin on my hurt flank and a wad of cobwebs was above my eye where Lionpaw, the psychotic kitty, had tried to claw my brains out with his bare claws. Other than that, I seemed to be okay. I looked about wearily, remembering the impatient cat, Leafpool's, sharp meow when trying to fish out my name. I didn't smell anyone else in the cave; maybe I could just stretch my legs a bit?

I stood up carefully and found that my flank didn't hurt much at all. It was mostly my right forepaw which was sore and hurt when I put too much weight on it.

The brambles guarding the entrance rustled and I flopped down quickly. In came three cats, Leafpool I recognized by the brief glimpse I had caught of her before, a younger tom with dark grey fur and amazing blue eyes, and the elder of the other two, a dark orange tom who walked with a lot of authority in his step.

I blinked at them as they walked in. _If they saved my life then they're __**probably **__not here to decide whether or not I could keep it. _

"She's awake," the grey tom announced loudly.

The other two cats stopped their whispering and padded forward to face me. I sat up straight, wincing as my right shoulder lanced with sudden pain.

"Don't push yourself." the older tom advised me. I nodded but didn't move from my position. Sighing, he sat down with his tail neatly curled around his paws. Leafpool followed suit as did the youngest. I suddenly realized he was blind. Why hadn't I noticed that before?

He was looking in the general direction I was sitting, probably locating me by smell, but his eyes were blank, with no focus on me at all.

I tried to shrug it off and returned my gaze to the other two.

"I am Firestar, leader of Thunderclan," the orange tom announced, bowing his head. "This is Leafpool, the medicine cat, and Jaypaw her apprentice." They each bowed their heads at me. I nodded back politely.

"You were very lucky," Leafpool mewed softly. "Most cats wouldn't have survived that fall, and I can only think of one cat that did." Jaypaw's ear twitched but he didn't add anything to her statement.

"How do your injuries feel?"

I took a moment to test out my paws and tail. "The sorest part of my body is my right front leg, which is probably only bruised," I answered truthfully.

"Do you feel any discomfort in your flanks?"

"Not really."

Leafpool nodded briskly. Firestar spoke up, "What did you say your name was?"

I sighed, "Actually, I don't have one. Names aren't exactly on my top priority list and no rogue I've met to this day has cared for name's either."

"You said your name was Race," Jaypaw's voice cut in.

I looked at the cat evenly, "It was the first thing that came to mind."

Firestar intervened, "Well then, Race, you are welcome to stay here until your injuries are healed. I heard you got a pretty bad scratch form one of our apprentices."

"Did you hear I almost tore his leg off?" I muttered, thinking distastefully about the cat in question.

"Do you think you fight well?"

"I fight well enough to survive, so far anyway."

"And you don't have any friends, any family you are traveling with?"

I narrowed my eyes at the personal question but answered honestly, "It's just me. My family's dead, far as I care to know."

Firestar matched my eyes, "If you like, you can stay here," he meowed slowly. "You look young enough to be an apprentice, and no clan will ask questions."

This cat is boggling my mind. By "no clan" did he mean there were even _more_ organized, territorial cats nearby? Oh, this is _not _going to be a fun trip trying to get away.

"I really don't think your fellow…clan mates would be happy with that, seeing as I almost ripped apart one of your younger cats."

"Look," Jaypaw snapped. "Lionpaw is just fine; he's pouting because he didn't win the fight. Don't use him as an excuse."

"Are you always this unpleasant?" I snapped back.

His eyes narrowed and his meow was icy, "Only when I know someone's not being honest to me."

"Well I wasn't talking to you, was I?" I mocked.

"You may as well have!"

"Why does it matter to you?"

"Because I saved your rotten life!"

"Oh, yeah," I drawled sarcastically. "Thanks a lot."

"You're welcome."

I glared at him and then stood up, seething.

"Wait," Firestar called.

"No," I growled. "I'm a rogue and now I'm going to leave because I want nothing to do with other cats, isn't that was being a rogue is all about?"

"But you're not healed yet!" Leafpool protested.

"I'm _sure,_" I snarled, "that I'll be just fine. I fell off a cliff and lived, remember? Just like wonder-cat over there."

I pushed through the brambles, entering a large sandy hollow. A few cats were walking around, one was standing by the exit, and all around the edges there were cat-made dens where the sound of many cats interacting with each other echoed mutely around the rock walls. Most cats stopped to look over at me.

I ignored them all and trudged across the clearing, tail low, ears down. I got to the entrance just as a group of four cats burst through. What do you know? There was Lionpaw, right up in front. He glared at me and I glared back.

"What do you think you're doing?" a surprised cat asked me. He was standing by the entrance, guarding it I guess.

"Leaving," I answered shortly.

"Good riddance," Lionpaw muttered. I kept my head down and pushed my way out. My injured right paw started to ache and I limped on it not ten fox lengths away from the camp. I walked straight forward, hoping to hit the lake or the ridge or the moors so that I could find my way out of this place.

I stumbled through the undergrowth, still burning with resentment. I don't get along very well with other cats. It probably has something to do with being attacked every other day.

Just as the scent of the lake appeared on the wind I heard the drumming of paws coming at me.

_Oh please don't let me get attacked again._

I turned around and crouched down, meeting my attacker head on. She skidded to a halt at the sight of me. She looked my age, with dark grey fur and amber eyes.

"Oh, hi," she said breathlessly. "I'm Hollypaw."

I nodded, "That's nice."

"Firestar sent me to try and convince you to stay."

"Good luck with that." I started to limp away.

"Hey," she bounded up next to me. "Come on, my brothers, okay, they're not the nicest cats around, especially not to strangers. But that's just them. Thunderclan's a good clan. All of the other's would probably kill you on sight."

"I'm not planning to meet any more clans." I growled, finally catching sight of the lake.

"You will if you just wander around the lake."

"Look, I'm not completely mouse brained, alright?" I turned around and stared at her. "What is up with you cats? Every territorial cat I've known hates tresspassers! Why does your _clan _think it can welcome any stray cat it sees just because they feel sorry for them? Maybe you should just leave certain cats be whether or not they're traveling alone, okay?"

Hollypaw gaped at me. I stared at her shell shocked face, shook my head, and turned tail.

"Look, I was born a rogue, I'll always be a rogue, and quite frankly, I don't think your clan likes me very much anyway."

Hollypaw got over herself quickly and came to sit beside me. "Oh come on, who have you met? Lionpaw and Jaypaw were downright mean to you, but they're not the whole clan. Firestar is really nice, and Leafpool isn't that bad when you get to know her. The only really unpleasant cat is Berrynose…" Her eyes narrowed angrily as I watched and then she shook her head.

"You know what, let's not even go there."

I purred amusedly, rewarding my new friend of sorts.

"So what do you say, Race?" Hollypaw asked, turning to look me straight in the eyes. "Do you want to give Thunderclan a chance?"

I sighed heavily, "I don't know Hollypaw. Why would I give all of this freedom up?"

"Because you're lonely," she answered seriously.

I looked at her, "Yeah, well, that's a price. I'll admit that."

"In Thunderclan you'll make lots of friends, and you'll learn how to fight and become a warrior like me if Firestar makes you an apprentice."

I busied myself quietly by washing my injured paw, thinking it all over.

Finally I stopped and let out a breath, "I'll come back with you, I guess."

"Yes!" She yowled happily. "Come on," she turned around quickly and led the way back to her home. Possibly my future home.

The only explanation I can offer as to why I decided to go with her is that I'm really not living my life for any reason. I'm just _surviving. _Maybe becoming a "warrior cat" like Hollypaw said will give me a goal in life.

And who knows, maybe I'll actually like being a clan cat.

**A/N- Well, its not quite entirely interesting yet but Race has a bit of character and the real meaning of this story will shine soon. I promise. **


	3. Chapter 3

Simple

Okay, all I have to do is accept Firestar's invitation to join his clan. It should be easy. All I have to do is admit that I had had a change of heart and that I actually wanted to joint the clan. Simple. Sure.

But as for that stupid Lionpaw who keeps on glaring at me from across the clearing, he _has _to go. Most definitely. I'm not going to kill him but he must be stopped, or else I probably will kill him.

"Race, hello? Are you listening?" Hollypaw pushed her face impatiently into mine.

I nodded, "Of course, why wouldn't I be?"

"These are my parents, Brambleclaw and Squirrelflight. Brambleclaw is also the deputy of Thunderclan; he's like the second leader." Both cats bobbed their heads at me and I respectfully bowed mine back.

"Hi," I greeted.

"Hello Race. I trust Hollypaw is giving you an extensive tour of Thunderclan?" Brambleclaw asked, his eyes sparkling when he looked at his daughter.

"Oh, extremely," I nodded. Hollypaw twisted one ear back, embarrassed.

"What does it matter?" Lionpaw strutted up to our group. "She's not joining Thunderclan."

"Lionpaw, be nice," Squirrelflight sighed, flicking him with her long tail. Lionpaw shied away from her.

"She's a rogue. She doesn't belong here in Thunderclan," he snarled this with such disgust in his eyes I was actually taken aback.

"Firestar was a kittypet, remember Lionpaw? And he's one of the best leaders the clans have ever seen." Brambleclaw stared down his son.

"That's right Brambleclaw," Firestar spoke up, coming to sit beside us. "A cat's origin's doesn't affect their ability to become an honorable warrior." Firestar turned his eyes to me, "Have you made your decision, Race?" He mewed.

I looked back and forth between the angry young tom, Hollypaw, her parents, and finally their leader.

"I just have one question," I said slowly. "Why are you so desperate to get me to join you clan? It seems to me like you have enough fire power to last you when it comes to feisty cats." I glanced at Lionpaw.

Firestar sat and sighed, "Well, to tell you the truth I want you to join Thunderclan because one of our apprentices suggested the idea and I trust his opinions."

I cocked my head to one side, "What cat?"

"Me," Jaypaw announced, coming to sit calmly beside his brother.

I bristled a little but kept my voice calm, "Are you usually so quick to change your attitude?"

Jaypaw's ear twitched but all he said was, "You have potential."

Before I could retort with another witty remark Firestar interrupted, "That's right. You have potential Race, and you will be a very welcome addition to Thunderclan."

At this point I had already decided I was going to join this "Thunderclan" but I held back for suspense. That and I was still trying to figure out Jaypaw's motives.

"Yeah okay, I'll become apart of Thunderclan."

Firestar's eyes brightened, "Great. We'll have an apprentice ceremony immediately." With that he leapt to the top of a ledge and started yelling for everyone to come out of their dens.

"Apprentice ceremony?" I hissed over to Hollypaw who was both licking my fur frantically and pushing me to the foot of the ledge Firestar was on.

"He's going to make you apart of Thunderclan by giving you a mentor to teach you the ways of the warrior code and such. Everyone goes through training before becoming a warrior."

Oh.

Hollypaw finished making my fur presentable just as Firestar began his speech.

"As you all know, our relations with the other clans are not very peaceful. We need all of the warriors we can get to prepare for the possible battle. Today, I want to welcome a young cat to train with the rest of our apprentices and become another valuable warrior to Thunderclan." He came down form atop his ledge and beckoned me forward.

"Race, from this moment on you will be known as Racepaw. Graystripe, you are a noble warrior and I trust you will teach Racepaw all you know of the warrior code. You will be her mentor."

The cat in question looked completely shocked but he came forward nonetheless. He bowed his head to Firestar and mewed huskily, "I will." Then he turned to me and touched his nose to mine. I could see his eyes sparkling excitedly.

"Racepaw, Racepaw, Racepaw!" The clan cats, or should I say my clan _mates_ yowled my name to the trees. Firestar dismissed the crowd and I was suddenly crowded by cats congratulating me.

I nodded and mewed words of thanks to each of them. Eventually the crowd dissipated. The only cat left near me was Hollypaw.

"This is great!" Hollypaw crowed. "I'm sure you'll catch right up, you probably know half the stuff that Graystripe will teach you."

"Yeah," I muttered distractedly. I had just seen Jaypaw but where did he…oh, there he is.

"Hollypaw, I'm going to go-"

"Racepaw!" A cat called out, I turned reluctantly to see my mentor padding up to me.

"Are you ready to go out and see Thunderclan's territory?" He asked.

I know it was a rhetorical question so I really had no choice in the matter.

"Okay, sure," I said, turning my head back around and looking for Jaypaw. "Just let me go…"

"Great!" Graystripe called out. "Come on."

I sighed, watching the tom I had my eyes on disappear into the wall of the cliff. "Hollypaw," I said, "why is your brother so weird?"

"That's just the way he is. Apparently he likes you though, if he told Firestar to let you into the clan."

"But why?" I muttered, turning to go to Graystripe who was chatting with the guard.

Graystripe's tour of the area was in-depth and interesting. He told me a little about the history of the clans, about the territory, and also demonstrated a hunting crouch for me. My twisted paw was practically immovable when we got back to camp.

"You should go see Leafpool about that," Graystripe said slightly guiltily. He had evidently forgotten I had fallen from the sky.

"Your paw is hurting you, isn't it?" A testy voice mewed. None other than the amazingly strange and mystical Jaypaw emerged behind us.

"It's not…that bad," I meowed quietly, looking down at my paw hanging limply.

"Move it," Jaypaw commanded. Resisting a sigh, I tried to stretch out my paw. The limp responded accordingly but shooting a huge burst of pain through my body, enough to make me growl softly.

"Right, come with me," Jaypaw said, flicking his tail towards the medicine cat den.

I followed him in, keeping my head low. It was extremely embarrassing to be hurt my first real day in Thunderclan.

Once in the den, Leafpool prodded and poked at the rest of my body until she was satisfied I wasn't hurt anywhere else. Graystripe brought in pieces of fresh kill for me and the two medicine cats. He also apologized to me for taking me out about the territory while I was still hurt. Leafpool spent a good while scolding him for it.

Suddenly, only a few minutes after Graystripe had retreated from the den, another blind tom with a light pelt and a long tail called out to Leafpool.

"Mousefur's sick," he said. "She can't move."

Leafpool looked up worriedly and gathered a few herbs from a cleft in the back. "Jaypaw, you take care of Racepaw and then come help me with Mousefur."

Jaypaw nodded, ever-so-reluctantly, and waited for his mentor to leave.

The den was washed in silence.

Eventually Jaypaw stood up and made to the back of the den, getting something.

"Why did you tell Firestar to invite me into the clan?" I finally burst out.

He paused and then returned with some sour smelling plant in his jaws. He put the stalks down.

"It wasn't by my own choice; it was a command from Starclan. It came to me in a dream."

I stared at him. "So you do what Starclan tell you to?"

He looked right at me with his unfocused blue eyes, "Yes."

"And if they told you to run all the way around the lake and then go into Windclan's camp and burst into song, you would do it?" My whiskers twitched amusedly.

He bared his teeth at me, "Look, Starclan doesn't ask of that stuff, okay? And you should be more respectful to the cats that gave you a home."

"Firestar gave me a-"

Jaypaw, who was sniffing at my injured paw suddenly froze and gasped a little. As did I. My paw, which had faded from being constantly shooting with pain to gently throbbing, went numb for a moment and then a warm feeling seeped its way all the way down through my claws. After the feeling had left, my paw felt completely normal.

My eyes were huge, and Jaypaw seemed equally shocked.

"Uhm," he began awkwardly.

"Does that happen often?" I asked him seriously.

"No."

"Huh, well then," I paused, looking at him. He seemed at loss. "I guess we should keep this…miracle to ourselves."

After a moment, Jaypaw nodded. "Here, take these anyway and pretend that it hurts a little."

I nodded and chewed up the leaves, which tasted horrible. Again the den was silent. Without really thinking about it, I stood up and left.

_That was odd,_ I thought.

Later that night, late into the night mind you, I was still up. My brain was racing with thoughts about that no-good fleabag Jaypaw and his miracle healing treatment which had apparently never happened before.

_Was it a Starclan miracle that will never be understood? Or was it one of Jaypaw's talents that make up for his socially-inept conversation talents?_

Purring to myself, I fell asleep to thoughts of Jaypaw's failure to be a normal young cat.

**Of COURSE this couldn't just be a normal love story. Jaypaw is one of the three, remember? And I don't know about you but I'm TIRED of waiting for his special abilities. If he ever gets any. **

**Review please! I know this chapter was a little fast when it came to making Racepaw a member of Thunderclan but hey, it was an order from Starclan. I can't tell you much about the next chapter, except the fact that it will keep adding to this whole mystery of his powers, oh and bonding time. Interesting bonding time, mind you. **


	4. Chapter 4

Family Meeting

Jaypaw scurried out of the medicine cat's den later that evening. He followed Hollypaw's scent until he reached his sister who was grooming her fur.

"Meet me in the usual spot," Jaypaw mewed quietly. "And bring Lionpaw." Then he hurried away to the space behind the warrior's den.

Jaypaw was resisting claws of panic trying to scratch his pelt into shreds. Racepaw seemed to have activated some kind of power within him. The power to heal without herbs. Jaypaw took his few minutes before his brother and sister got there to lick his fur flat and try to calm himself down. Racepaw activated all kinds of emotions in him, many of which he could not explain.

The sound of grunting and several twigs snapping brought Jaypaw out of his stupor.

"All right, we're here. What's so important Jaypaw?" Lionpaw's deep meow was cut off by Hollypaw squeezing past him and into the nook of free space left.

"Yeah Jaypaw. What's wrong?"

Jaypaw took a deep breath and then calmly told the two what had happened. There was a shocked silence when he finished.

"Wow Jaypaw," Hollypaw finally breathed.

"This must have to do with the prophecy," Lionpaw added.

Jaypaw froze at the thought "Yes I think it may…" Jaypaw lowered his voice so much that the other two had to lean right up close to him to hear. "Remember how Firestar said that I was the one who told him to invite Racepaw into the clan? Well, I told him that I had gotten a sign from Starclan to let her in but…I actually didn't."

"You…_lied?_" Lionpaw asked incredulously.

"No," Jaypaw spat. "Not exactly. I walked into her dream last night while she was recovering form the fall and I actually healed her _in _her dream. I thought that if she stayed, I might be able to do it again. But this time, when she was awake."

"So you've done this before?" Hollypaw mewed.

"Not exactly," Jaypaw shifted his paws uneasily. "See…

_The Dream_

Jaypaw opened his eyes and found he was standing in the middle of endless plains. Just a few fox lengths in front of him was a small she-cat whose brown/white fur looked grey in the moonless night sky. She was staring up at the stars, her back to Jaypaw.

The tom moved forward slowly and settled down next to her. She didn't seem to notice. There they sat, at peace, calm, not speaking. Jaypaw also raised his eyes to Silverpelt, staring at the beautiful sky he could only see in dreams.

All of a sudden a screech tore across the plains and the cat beside him jerked awake. She looked around wildly for the sound and then took off running in a random direction. Jaypaw sprinted after her. They ran, the she-cat always staying three tail-lengths in front of him.

By the time she stopped Jaypaw felt completely exhausted. When he looked around, he was startled to see a pitch black wall before him. It was as if the moors were being swallowed by shadow. The she-cat stepped forward and sniffed at the blackness. She seemed to brace herself and began to walk into the wall.

Jaypaw was very suddenly aware of what would happen to her if she touched it.

"No!" He yowled, flinging himself at the cat. He bowled her over and dragged her away from the blackness.

She didn't fight him; she simply let herself be dragged in the grass until he set her down. It was only then that Jaypaw started to feel the pain and death emitting from her body.

Jaypaw sniffed at her flank. Her breathing was getting slower, and her eyes were half closed. Gently Jaypaw nosed her muzzle and tried to think of ways to keep her alive. He rasped his tongue slowly along her side. All of a sudden, the fever that was tearing through her fur died away and her breathing gradually returned to normal.

Jaypaw froze and stepped back, watching as her body stiffened. Randomly she shot up like a bullet, a terrified yowl escaping her lips.

Jaypaw awoke from his nest, his fur sticking up and panic erupting in his heart. He hurried to his patient, praying that she would be alive.

The cat he couldn't see was still sleeping peacefully. She had no fever and her breathing was normal. Jaypaw sighed, relieved, and curled up only a tail-length away from the cat, listening to her breathe the rest of the night until he drifted off to sleep once again.

_Back in the present_

"So, you saved her from death? That's why she was fine when she woke up?" Hollypaw sounded confused.

Jaypaw nodded, "I think so."

"But…why her all of a sudden? Why couldn't you heal some other cat like this before?" Lionpaw questioned.

Jaypaw thought. He scraped his claws in the dirt, "I don't know," he answered truthfully.

"Why didn't you tell us this, this morning?" Lionpaw accused.

Jaypaw looked at where he thought his brother was. "I'm telling you now, aren't I?"

"Jaypaw, do you think that Racepaw is the key to unlocking our powers or something?" Hollypaw asked hesitantly.

Jaypaw nodded, "I think so. If I can heal her just by touching her, maybe I can do it with other cats now, too."

"We'll just have to see about that," Lionpaw replied, his tail twitching angrily. Without another word he turned and left their hiding spot. Hollypaw followed him after nosing her brother's shoulder comfortingly. Jaypaw was left standing all alone until he felt Leafpool prowling around the camp, searching for him.

Sighing to himself, Jaypaw emerged from behind the warriors den and snuck up behind Leafpool. The she-cat immediately sent him out to gather herbs. Jaypaw left gratefully.

_Now I'll have time to think about what I'm going to do about her._

**A/N- I know, it wasn't the longest chapter in the world. Oh well. Now you know Jaypaw's point of view on it all. So far, anyway. Thanks for the constructive criticism Golden Fox. I know that the last chapter was rushed and didn't have many emotions in it, which it should have. This one gives you a fair view of Jaypaw's emotions surrounding the whole thing anyway. **

**Thank you to all my reviewers. You make ecstatic when I read what you have to say. :D**

**Review please and I'll write faster. **


	5. Chapter 5

Blindness

As it turns out, my fighting isn't half bad. In fact, I managed to take Graystripe down on my first try. As it _also _turns out, I am really bad at hunting. Graystripe actually asked me how I managed to survive on my own with my hunting technique. I told him that I survived using my brain more than my claws…and I also relied a lot on luck. He seemed to find this amusing.

Leafpool "cleared" me for training about five days ago. I've been in Thunderclan for a total of one week. My hunting _has _improved since my first lesson, but I have yet to be sent on a hunting patrol. Graystripe said that if I can catch a squirrel on my first try before the full moon, he'll ask Firestar to take me to the highly anticipated "Gathering".

Every full moon the four clans get together, spread rumors, share news, and socialize with cats they would normally not so much as sniff at. This get-together is held on an Island you can only get to by crossing a log that Starclan hit with a bolt of lightning so that the cats would have that special place to gather at.

Starclan is probably what _should _intrigue me most about clan life, but it doesn't. As a rogue, you can have whatever beliefs or non-beliefs you want. I, personally, always thought the forest and the water and the moors had their own "spirits" per say. That is the reason I didn't find a two-leg home when Mother died.

Now with this so called "Starclan" prowling around in the skies as stars, it seems as if I've been surrounded by clan cats my entire life and I never even knew it.

I've learned that not all cats have to believe in Starclan. Like Cloudtail. Apparently he's never believed in Starclan but he's one of the best warriors they've got. I believe in Starclan, I'm just not sure I'm going to run with them all across the night sky when I die, but I guess we'll see.

So, Graystripe and I just returned with our prey. I caught three mice, and he caught a sparrow, a squirrel, and a vole. He said I did well for a cat who once couldn't even walk through the trees without scaring all the prey away, but considering the fact that snowfall is coming soon and prey is already low, our add to the fresh-kill pile didn't make much of a difference.

"Racepaw, go feed the elders and then take something for yourself. You have Dawn Patrol tomorrow, so rest up."

I nodded to my mentor, and then leaned down and picked up the two juiciest pieces of prey in the pile. After I gave them to Longtail and Mousefur, I sat outside their den and thought about the food system in the clans.

The elders, medicine cats, and queens are usually given the best pieces of prey. The strongest warriors usually take the smaller prey unless fresh-kill is abundant. Apprentices have to make due with the leftovers.

I only caught three mice today, and though one was quite large, the other two were poor excuses for rodents. I laid down, my mind fervent with thoughts. _Why should I eat when I didn't bring anything remarkable back to camp? I gave enough to feed three warriors but not enough to actually contribute. And I'm young and energetic, and I know how to get along with herbs that stop food cravings. If I go out and hunt for the rest of the day, and eat a few herbs that will stem the hunger until I catch some prey, maybe I'll actually be able to eat when I get back._

Armed with my plan, I set across the clearing to Graystripe who was eating with Firestar, Sandstorm, and Cloudtail. After expressing to Graystripe about working on my hunting crouch and doing some good for the clan by hunting on my own for a little while, he let me go out.

I hopped across the clearing. Dustpelt, who was guarding the entrance to the forest, stopped me briefly.

"Where do you think you're going?" He asked.

I stopped, "I'm going hunting."

"You're not going to eat what you catch before everyone else is fed, are you?" He asked suspiciously.

I curled my tail up in faux alarm, "Oh no Dustpelt! You've discovered my evil plan!" I slunk closer to him and looked around carefully before hissing, "As soon as I get out of this camp, I'm going to unleash my awesome hunting techniques upon all the prey in Thunderclan's territory and then I'm going to kill all of the rodents and give them away to the other three clans so that Thunderclan will have no food for Snowfall and Thunderclan will exist no more!" I finished with a dramatic sweep of my tail and stomping my front paw on the ground.

Dustpelt twitched his tail but his eyes shone with amusement. "All right, go ahead." He let me pass.

I bounded out into the forest, ambling down to the part of the lake that was closer to Windclan territory. I opened my senses to the forest and the little creatures in it. In minutes I made my first kill, and shortly after that, another. I carried the bird and mouse down a little ways to the shore. I wanted to try and catch a vole.

Once I was close enough that I could hear the waves, I covered my prey with dirt and started to follow the stench of a squirrel around the trees. Soon enough I saw the twitchy creature chewing at acorns on the forest floor. I prowled forward, completely silent.

Just as I was about to leap a loud snap of a twig sent the squirrel flying up the nearest tree.

"Mousedung!" I spat, stalking towards the noise. "What do you think you're doing?" I snarled, rounding on the cat.

"Oh I'm sorry," Jaypaw mewed sarcastically. "It's truly _terrible _that I ruined your hunt but I'm busy restocking an herb that may very well save your life this leaf-bare."

I froze immediately at seeing the tom but then relaxed after his sarcastic reply and settled down just beside the tansy plant he was chewing at.

We were silent and a million questions raced through my head during that silence. _Just ask him exactly what you want to know, the un-edited truth!_

"Jaypaw, why am I in Thunderclan?" I blurted out.

The blind tom stopped what he was doing and looked blankly in my direction. Slowly he sat up and licked his lips clear of tansy juice. "You're here because you accepted Firestar's invitation."

I growled, "Yes I _know _that thank you, but Firestar never would have invited me if you hadn't told him I was a…an angel from Starclan or something."

Jaypaw snorted, "I never said you were an _angel._"

"Look Jaypaw," I snapped, losing my patience. I stalked up to him and stuck my nose in his face. "Tell me what Starclan said to you or so help me I _will _rip open your ear."

Jaypaw stepped back from me and remained calm. "Okay, okay, I'll tell you. Don't have a hissy fit."

I stepped away from him and sat down, waiting patiently.

Jaypaw took in a deep breath and mewed, "While you were sleeping, that night after you fell off the cliff, I got a dream from Starclan. One of our Ancestors who I've never met before came to me and said, _Thunderclan's aid has come. _I asked him who the aid was, and the cat just stepped back and in the dream I saw…you." Jaypaw paused, "And then I woke up."

I blinked for a moment. I didn't know how to feel. "So…I'm Thunderclan's _aid? _What's _that _supposed to mean?"

Jaypaw shook his head, "I don't know yet but I'm sure that with time you will figure it out."

I was shocked by all of this cryptic knowledge. Eight days ago I had been savoring the feeling of the wind speeding through my fur and the grass under my paws streak by, now I was hunting for a bunch of cats that I was supposed to _aid _somehow? What _happened_?

Oh, yes, I remember now. I hit my head really hard when I fell down that stupid cliff. No wonder I'm suddenly a psycho-maniac.

I shook my head. All I felt was overwhelmed. _I hardly know how to take care of __**myself**__, how am I supposed to help a bunch of cats I don't know?_

Blowing out a sigh I closed my eyes and tried to feel the forest around me, the land always calmed me down. Jaypaw didn't say anything more; he actually went back to chewing off tansy stalks. _He's a medicine cat, isn't he supposed to give me some kind of advice besides 'Oh I'm sure you'll figure it out.'_

_Calm down, _I commanded my mind. I let my mind wander and heard the forest _live _beneath my paws. I felt the slight thumps of Jaypaw's paws on the ground, the rustles of the ferns, the sighing of the leaves in the trees. I smelled the dry air that was just tinted with frost and the slowly diminishing scent of prey. I dug my claws into the dirt, feeling it scrunch between my toes.

My nerves calmed down quite a bit and I was almost reluctant to open my eyes again. I turned around to leave and get back to my hunting mission. I would worry about this aid thing tonight when I was supposed to be sleeping.

But before I left I thought about the forest again, how it felt when I pretended I was blind. _Jaypaw's lucky, _I realized.

I stopped and turned my head slightly back to where Jaypaw was standing.

"You know, Jaypaw," I started. "You're lucky."

"How so?" Jaypaw meowed. His voice was muffled by the tansy stems but I could still hear the slightest trace of sarcasm.

Undeterred, I continued, "You get to experience the forest better than the rest of us. You have to actually _feel _it around you when you come out here, and I know that's only because you're blind but…You're actually kind of lucky to be blind. How many other cats come out here and try to _feel _the forest? You probably know this forest better than any other cat because when you think about it, you have to know its spirit personally in order to get around."

I flicked my tail, "Sometimes the way the forest feels doesn't do the real sight of it justice. Maybe that's why it's hard for other cats to try and get to know it better." With that I left, pushing my way through the bushes and thinking about what I had just said, making sure it had all been true.

All of it was 100 percent true, but…why _exactly _had I told short-tempered Jaypaw all that?

_Because he told me the truth about why I'm here, I owed him. If he made __**me**__ feel kind of special, then subconsciously I probably wanted to make __**him**_ _feel_ _kind of special. _

I always surprise myself. I never really _think _in depth about what I'm going to say before I say it. That's why I don't know myself very well. It's also why I was in Thunderclan. I never _think, _I just go with the flow. This was one of those times where I didn't think about what I was going to say but it actually _meant _something to somebody.

Like I said: I surprise myself.

**A/N- Well, who else can say BONDING TIME??? That chapter had its worth though. Or, at least I hope it did to you guys. I means some to me and the next chapter will mean even MORE to all of us. Including the cats. =) **

**Review please, and tell me what you think about Jaypaw LIEING to Racepaw and how you think she should take it when she finds out. Tsk tsk Jaypaw. You just made mistake numero uno. Oh, and I also realized that Racepaw suffers from insomnia. How cool is that? **


	6. Chapter 6

The Clearing

Paws weary, I staggered over to my space along the edge of camp and flopped down dramatically. I rasped my tongue over my sore pads, cleaning the dirt off of them. Three days after my self-given hunting mission and since then I had been worked to the ground. At least, that's what it felt like.

Today was quite possibly the worst. The morning started off dreadfully when I slept late for dawn patrol and was graciously awakened by Berrynose, who stepped on my face as a way to coax me out of dreamland. Then I fell into the ice cold stream by Shadowclan's territory and soaked my two front legs. When we got back to camp, I was sent off to pry ticks off the elder's skin with that disgusting mousebile, which of course _slipped _and managed to get onto my tongue. I would prefer eating slugs then ever tasting that again.

But that was only my morning. This afternoon started off on a high note when I was stuck on a hunting patrol with Berrynose _and _Lionpaw. I had to deal with their constant badgering the _entire time _I was on patrol. I did get my relief though, when I successfully managed to smack Berrynose in the face with a profusely bleeding bird carcass.

Unfortunately, the day still has a quarter of time left, so just about anything terrible could happen to me. Like a bird dive-bombing my head, or a tree crushing me, or of course I could fall in the river again. All in all, this day _reeks _of mousebile, and I mean this both literally and figuratively because I can still taste the rotten—

"Racepaw," I stopped in my licking. Jaypaw flicked his tail in the direction of the tunnel out of camp. "Come with me, I need help collecting some herbs."

I resisted a groan when I stood up. My paws didn't hurt that bad anymore but just the idea of wandering through the woods with Jaypaw looking for herbs developed all kinds of sick and horrifyingly humiliating possibilities. But what can I do? The medicine cat apprentice had spoken, and for all I know he could be exuding Starclan's will.

So we went. We picked our way through the undergrowth, heading vaguely in the direction of Windclan's territory. It didn't ever occur to me to help the sightless cat. He was actually leading _me_. How ironic.

"So, what herbs are we looking for?" I mewed after some time. We'd walked past at least three tansy bushes and a Juniper berry plant.

Jaypaw didn't respond for a moment, he just went on ahead, weaving throughout the branches. _Oh dear mousetails, does he even know where he's going?_

Just as I was about to voice an obnoxious complaint, Jaypaw stopped and turned around to face me.

"I'm actually taking you somewhere I want you to see." He said this with the upmost seriousness.

I straightened in surprise, "Oh? Okay then. I'm all for surprises."

Jaypaw nodded briskly and pushed through two bushes. I followed him like the easy-going cat I was. Only a few pawsteps later my ears picked up the sound of running water which we seemed to be heading for.

I started taking in the forest more. The undergrowth was a little clearer and the scent of prey had diminished startlingly. The trees were thinning out into mostly birch and oak. It was an abnormally warm day for this late into—

"Here."

Jaypaw stopped so suddenly I _almost_ ran into him. I careened around the cat, stumbling into the clearing but not falling. Jaypaw's whisker's twitched a little but he didn't remark to my clumsiness. He just sat down and curled his tail around his paws patiently.

Shaking off my embarrassment, I glanced quickly at the scenery and then did a double-take.

The stream I had heard was there before me. It rushed down a rocky out-cliff into a deep pool which drained into a small stream that was small enough to step over but was as deep as a forepaw. The trees just seemed to stop goring around this place. Instead the trees leaned in over it, as if it was sheltering the clearing from the world. There were a few patches in the tree tops that shed sunlight onto the top of the mini-waterfall and the grass surrounding it. There were brightly colored flowers dotting here and there at the base of the trees and some soft, thick, moss deliciously soaked in the crisp water around the pool's edges.

I padded to the small pool's edge, peering into the deep water. I looked past my reflection at the shadow-induced depths. A spotted lizard scuttled around at the bottom, along with some whisker thin fish. I was so transfixed by the pool I didn't hear Jaypaw move form his spot until he sat down next to me.

"I can only imagine this place, what it looks like. But…I can feel it." I raised my eyes from the water and looked at my companion. He was staring blankly down at the water. He breathed in slowly and scratched gently at the dirt, "You know, I was wondering…does the feel of this place….does it do the justice for the sight of it?"

I blinked at Jaypaw as he slowly raised his head and looked at me.

_It means something to him,_ I thought. _He just really wants to know._ My heart ached at his question, but I was unsure why. So I focused instead on answering his question. I forgot what this place looked like and instead I closed my eyes and breathed it in, feeling it live beneath my paws.

After several long moments I opened my eyes again.

"Yes," I murmured. "It really does do it justice." I looked around the clearing again, feeling serene. Jaypaw only inclined his head slightly. We sat together, saying nothing, just connecting with the forest and this magical clearing. For the longest of times, it really felt like we were the only cats in the world. For long moments, it felt like Jaypaw and I could just scamper around the entire lakeside, prowling in the moors and leaping though the trees. Playing elaborate games with each other and not having to worry about any prophecies or clans or responsibilities. For long moments, I even forgot he was blind.

How sad reality is. My wonderful daydream ended with that thought and I could not hold in my quiet but sad sigh.

Jaypaw's tail brushed over my flank, as if he knew what I had been thinking and felt the same way. His touch said, _I know, reality sucks, but that's the way it is._

I nodded to myself, regaining my afflicted emotions about being an apprentice.

_I really hate mousebile,_ I thought. _But I'm going to have to deal with it one day again. Probably tomorrow._

Jaypaw seemed to get the same drift because he stood up and stretched. "Come on, we really do have to gather herbs."

"Okay," I mewed.

"So I heard from the elders that you got mousebile on your tongue today," Jaypaw said.

My ears flattened at the memory, "Yes, I did. And it tasted horrible by the way. It tasted like…kind of like what you'd imagine Berrynose's attitude would taste like."

Jaypaw's whiskers twitched amusedly, "I heard he also gave you a hard time today on patrol."

"Not only did he give me a hard time, Jaypaw, but he also stepped on my face this morning as a way to wake me up." I could tell Jaypaw was barely resisting an _mrrow_ of laughter. I went on with my complaints, "Oh yeah, than then the river tried to swallow me today when I _fell _in it. And then, of course, there was that lovely incident of your brother jumping out of a tree and _landing on me _during hunting patrol. Apparently he had mistaken me for a very large squirrel."

Jaypaw could no longer resist. He let out a loud _mrrow_ of laughter and staggered away from me. I tackled him to the ground in retaliation and we tussled for a moment. When we broke apart he was panting from both the laughter and the fight, and I was beginning to feel strangely light-hearted myself.

We went on through the woods, collecting a large stock of yarrow as Jaypaw told me in detail more about the ancestors and more social aspects about the other clans. He filled me in about why ShadowClan had turned their backs on Starclan and about Sol. He told me about Windclan's prickly relationship with Thunderclan and about the trip from the old forest to the lake.

My mind was boggled with many a Clan story and characterizations when we reached camp. We took the yarrow back to Leafpool, who purred jubilantly over our huge addition to the stock. The sun was almost at sun-down. The day had finished remarkably wonderful, compared to the beginning and middle.

The clearing he had taken me to stuck out in my mind as I was choosing my meal. I merely accepted the fact that he had wanted to know if the place looked as heavenly as it felt, and the reason he asked me was seemingly obvious…but somehow it wasn't.

It was obvious because, well, I had brought up the whole "feeling is better than seeing" thing, but he could have asked his sister the same thing and probably felt much more comfortable with it...but he asked me.

He asked _me._

Why?

I gnawed relentlessly at a blackbirds' chewy wing, trying to figure that tom-cat out, when all of a sudden his voice interrupted my thoughts.

"Can I eat with you?" My head snapped up. Jaypaw was standing in front of me, his dinner at his paws. _How can I possibly say no?_

"Ye-yeah. Yes, Jaypaw, of course you can." I was stuttering. _Why? _There was that question again.

He turned and sat beside me, far enough away that we weren't touching but close enough so that I could feel his warmth.

My mind was panicking. The question "why" echoed over and over again in my mind. Why me? Why is he acting like this? Why, why, why, why?

Distractedly, I cast my eyes across the clearing. They settled on Hollypaw and Lionpaw who were both staring in shock at that two of us.

I coughed, my whiskers twitching at their befuddled mannar.

"What?" Jaypaw asked.

"Your brother and sister aren't very happy with you right now," I answered him. Lionpaw stood up just then, looking for all the world like he was going to march right over to Jaypaw and tell him what for when his sister stopped him. She just shook her head.

Jaypaw nodded, looking their direction, "I didn't think they would be too happy about me leaving them to sit with you."

Why _are _you sitting with me?" I bit at the chance to voice one of my many questions.

Jaypaw just shrugged, "Because, although you befriended Hollypaw, she never eats with you. I just thought you must get lonely. I know I would."

I felt my eyes widen into perfect circles. Every muscle in my body froze in perfect shock. _What…did he just say? Did he mean it?_

Jaypaw noticed my shock. He leaned over and took it upon himself to start the ritual of sharing tongues. I sat there like a rock, still at lost for words or conscious thoughts or anything remotely productive. At some point I snapped out of it and all of a sudden I felt the need to fill the silence between us. After all, this was called _sharing _tongues, was it not?

I began to ramble on about the first things that came to mind. I started off with a memory when I was a rogue and just went from there. He said nothing, besides a few chuckles here and sympathetic gestures there. At one point he seemed to be satisfied with the fur on the back of my neck. That was when he sat back and just listened to me talk.

I jumped back and forth from meaningful things to stupid ideas. None of what I said truly mattered, or at least, it _shouldn't _have mattered to anyone. But Jaypaw acted like he really wanted to know. He supplied his own outlook every now and again, and he responded to some of my 'yes' or 'no' questions. But most of all, he just listened.

That's all he seemed to want to do, was listen.

By the time I stopped completely, the sky was dark and many cats had retreated to their dens. Some were still out and about, but all conversation was hushed and the camp was at peace.

Neither of us said anything after I stopped talking. My mind was suddenly cleared of questions, and conflicted thoughts, and strange emotions. We stared at Silverpelt for a time and then Jaypaw spoke again.

"Racepaw," Jaypaw finally mewed. "I really have no idea what I'm going to do about you."

I wasn't surprised. I wasn't sure what I was going to do about him either. We just stared at one another for a moment and then Jaypaw stood up. He flicked my ear lightly with his tail in farewell. I watched him walk away soundlessly to the medicine cat den.

I eventually went to my own nest. I settled down into the soft bracken and closed my eyes, mentally preparing myself for the sure-to-come onslaught of thoughts that bother me every night when I should be sleeping.

They never came. For the first time since I'd joined Thunderclan, I fell asleep instantly.

**A/N- Well, more bonding. That's really all I can say. 'Twas cute bonding though. I feel as if Jaypaw was slightly out of character, and I'm sorry. I've gone over this chapter a million times and I have come to the conclusion that he **_**had **_**to be out of character. In this chapter, anyway. The next one won't be so lovey-dovey, out-of-character-ness. Oh Gods no, Jaypaw will be right back into being his normal self next chapter. Plus, the two cats are so troubled by their emotions, it's gotta cause some off character-actions. **

**It wasn't good, but it wasn't bad. I know. Review anyway and make this author happy, (please)**


	7. Chapter 7

Sol's a Jerk but at Least I've _Finally_ Figured Out What to Do

One whole moon I've been stuck with Thunderclan. My apprentice training is exactly where it would be if I had been born in the clan. I'm no hunting Goddess but as far as Graystripe's concerned I'm good enough to get by. My fighting pales only to that of Lionpaw's. That cat is either gifted by the stars or he's eating some very suspicious plants. We fight each other whenever we can in the Training Hollow and probably whack each other harder than we should. I suppose we _have_ gotten over our differences but probably only because Jaypaw told his brother to try and be friendly.

Jaypaw. He's a weird one. The day after our first trek through the forest he virtually ignored me the entire next day. It shouldn't have meant anything to me. I mean, we're both moderately busy cats, but something in me ticked backwards when he didn't reply to my good-natured 'hello.'

I got over it three days later when he invited me to go herb hunting again. Jaypaw confessed to me then that he had ignored me on purpose because he didn't want his clanmates to get the wrong idea.

"What wrong idea? What _ideas _could they possibly imagine?" I'd asked him exasperatedly.

Jaypaw had swished his tail uncomfortably, "They just like to gossip a lot, that's all. If I spent all of my free time with you, one of them would start to get the…wrong impression."

I cocked my head to one side at that. I'd padded over to him and stuck my nose in his face, "What _exactly _is the wrong idea, Jaypaw?"

He didn't want to reply, just shook his head briskly and started talking about how much work we had to do.

Stupid tomcats.

Jaypaw brought me along with him to collect herbs whenever he went out and that time together was enough to stem his constant ignorance of me at camp. He never did eat with me again, though. Leafpool mostly kept him in the medicine cat den during mealtimes.

_Anyway, _back to my hunting skills. Graystripe was so happy with my progress, he told Firestar to bring me to the well-anticipated Gathering! How exciting!

No, really, it sounds interesting when it comes to meeting all the other clans. I have yet to run into a rival clan's border patrol, so I still have silly questions like, "Will they look the same as Thunderclan cats?" stuck in my head. I also want to know what the gig with Shadowclan is all about. It disappoints me to think that they won't be there. And is will this Sol cat show up?

See? My head is full of stupid questions. Rationally I can tell myself, 'No, he won't show up.' But my nervously crazed brain replies, 'HE MUST!' I'm not sure why I think _I'm_ so special Sol will turn up just for me.

"Nervous Racepaw?" Dustpelt asked me as I joined the other cats going to the Gathering, headed by Firestar.

He must have noticed my claws pricking into the ground with each step. I looked at him and nodded, unable to hide the rabid excitement in my eyes.

Dustpelt purred, "It'll be a great experience for you. Although these are -- strange times, that just makes it twice as interesting."

Dustpelt and I got along surprisingly well. I usually eat with him and some of the other warriors. Amusingly, they had much more interesting conversations than the other apprentices. The cats who shared my den, quite frankly, irritated me. Well, all of them except Hollypaw. The warriors, on the other paw, are much more entertaining. They _should_ talk about things that are more mature then the apprentices, but they don't; either way I win.

We were just far enough into Windclan's territory when I spotted a large group of cats way out in the distance that were about to reach the log that served as a bridge to the Island. My ears pricked up excitedly, _Windclan! _

Already crossing the log was Riverclan. Although we were too far away to actually see the dark shapes that made up the other two clans, I could tell just by their body shapes that the stereotypes concerning the two clans was true. Windclan look scrawny and small compared to the full-bellied Riverclan warriors.

A sudden spark of pride ignited in my belly. _We are neither scrawny nor sleek; we're practically forest-spirits who don't have to over-exert ourselves just to find food. So take that._

Whoa. I actually felt proud to be in Thunderclan for a moment.

We finally reached the log, long after the other two clans had crossed it. I sniffed hopefully in the air but detected no Shadowclan scent. Disappointed, I trudged across the log and pushed through the bushes alongside my clanmates. As I emerged form the undergrowth I bumped into some Riverclan apprentice.

"Watch it forest shrew," he snapped.

I flared instantly but checked myself. _I don't have a for-sure ticket to Starclan yet when I die so I best not be the cause for peeving them tonight._

I walked away from the little mouse with as much dignity as I could. I could feel his eyes watching me, so feeling all-important I sat down next to Dustpelt who was conversing with three warriors from the other clans. I felt the cat's eyes slide away from me and my pelt pricked with satisfaction.

Then my head swelled with realization.

_I'm sitting in front of two Riverclan warriors and one Windclan warrior! _

My eyes snapped open wide. I forgot myself and just stared.

The two Riverclan warriors weren't as full-bellied as they were described. One was a swirly-black and gray tom while the other was a light colored she-cat. By the position of their tails I presumed they were mates.

The Windclan warrior was narrow and slightly boney, but he had big ears like mine with honey-colored eyes to match his pelt. I vaguely heard them speaking but it was all a buzz to me. I glanced around the entire hollow, astounded by all of the cats I saw.

A yowl starting the Gathering shook the awe from me.

The three leaders leapt onto their separate branches, Firestar began to say, "First of all, Thunderclan would like to welcome—"

A strange cat scent invaded the crowded space of the gathering at that moment. I turned my head in the direction where I had come and saw _him. _

He was a splotchy colored cat, probably the oddest I had ever seen in my short life. He had tall ears and a very long body. As he walked he looked straight forward, emitting an air of confidence.

_Sol._

"What are you doing here Sol?" Leopardstar asked calmly.

"Haven't you done enough?" Onestar spat, his fur sticking out in several directions.

"Calm down, please. Everyone." Sol took his seat at the lowest branch of the tree where he could address all of the cats. He raised his voice over the mutters of all the other clans.

"I have come to extend an invitation to all of the Clan cats," he announced. "The cats that once formed Shadowclan have all faced the fact that Starclan has no power. They are living their lives peacefully and freely as all cats should. I have come to welcome any cat who wants to walk the path that the former Shadowclan has taken, to come to their territory at any time. You will be welcome with open paws."

"What makes you so sure Starclan has no power, loner?" One cat challenged.

_Ooo, how're you going to answer that one, wise guy?_

Sol looked out at the other cats evenly, "Starclan did not warn you the sun would go out." He said this with such an air of confidence, I could smell doubt from the cats rise in the air.

Something inside me snapped and I leapt up, "They don't control the seasons either Sol! What's your point?" Dustpelt stared at me, surprised at my outburst. So did several other cats, for that matter.

The weird looking cat stared straight at me, "The sun disappearing is not a natural act of nature. It was a great and terrifying experience, so why didn't they warn you?"

I resisted the urge to claw this cats' fur off. _He's an idiot! Why are these cats taking him seriously?_

"I've seen some pretty weird stuff, Sol, and trust me they were _all_ acts of Nature."

Sol shook his head, "Even if Starclan did not control the sun's disappearance, why should you take orders from dead cats? Honor their memory, but they should not meddle with the experiences of the living."

I had no answer for that, and neither did anyone else.

_It's not even a matter of answering him; it's just a matter of common sense._

Sol left the clearing with that statement and the Gathering broke up shortly after. I stalked over the log and along the edge of the water, still fuming in a red rage.

Dustpelt tried to soothe me, "Don't worry Racepaw, we all know he's nothing but a piece of mousedung. Sooner or later, Shadowclan will realize this too."

I looked at him and considered ranting to him about all of the things going on in my head, but after reviewing them a second time I realized that my ideas were very similar to Sol's.

I contemplated this worriedly all the way back home. When we reached camp, it was technically still early so most cats were up. They immediately started asking questions. I slid past the all, immersed in my own thoughts when Jaypaw approached me.

"Hey," he greeted. I growled a little and sat down. We were at the edge of the clearing and no cats were near by. I glared unhappily at the ground until he nudged me.

"Tell me what's up," he said.

I scratched the ground. "Sol showed up at the Gathering and he basically invited all of the cats who agreed with him to go over to Shadowclan territory. I've heard what he's said about Starclan, Jaypaw, but I've never really thought about it until now."

Jaypaw tipped his head to one side, "Do you…agree with him?"

"Sort of," I replied unhappily. "I don't think Starclan can do anything concerning the Sun besides put clouds over it when they really try. And I don't think that they can control anything that has to do with the seasons or when it rains, but I do think that they have the best interest in the clans at heart and that they _have_ to meddle with our business in order for things to turn out well. But…to me it just seems like all of the Clan cats think that Starclan is the Universe. And I'm just…surrounded by idiots." I muttered the last part, settling down on the ground and resting my head on my paws.

Jaypaw sat beside me and licked my ear gently. "I agree with you."

I turned to stare at him. A medicine cat agree that Starclan doesn't actually have much power? What is the world coming to?

"I've walked amongst them and I know they have the power to observe and speak to us, but when it comes to committing acts the most they can ever do is warn us first. And I know how you feel when it comes to being around stubborn cats. Some of them just can't see past their faith."

"But you can," I murmured.

He nodded and nosed the side of my neck, "Yes, I can."

I sat on the ground, leaning a little against Jaypaw's body. We sat silently, slowly warming up as our life's blood shared temerature with each other. Jaypaw resting his muzzle over my shoulders and I relaxed for a long moment beneath his caressing purrs.

An epiphany struck me like lightning.

I sat up slowly and looked over at Jaypaw, who could not meet my eyes. I focused on that feeling of warmth I only ever got when we were together to fuel the confidence of my next sentance.

"You agree with me because…because you know that us going herb-hunting together is against their will." I silently prayed that he would catch the meaning beneath the words. My spine was tingling more than it ever had before. I was awaiting anxiously for his response. _What would I do if he said no? _That single though cracked my heart just a little bit.

He lifted his head up and murmured, "Yes."

My heart sang.

**A/N- I AM SO SORRY!!!!**

**For several reasons, actually. **

**1. Because I haven't updated in FOR-EV-ER and I feel horrible about it! Every time I tried to write this chapter I ended up blabbering about nothing so it was really bad and I still don't think it's all that good, but at least it keeps the plot moving, right?**

**2. Because I left you at that major cliffhanger**

**And 3. Because I'm going to give you a hint about what the next chapter is like. **

**Are you ready for this? Here it is, the title of the next chapter:**

**Starclan Hates Me**

**OH NO! What will the Thunderclan apprentice, who has both his clan and a great amount of power resting on his shoulders (not to mention his two maniac siblings) do? And Racepaw, the new addition to Thunderclan who believes she doesn't have a past, what will she do. What if she DOES have a past? One she forgot about? And what happens if Starclan decides to tell Leafpool about their love?**

**Wow. That's a lot of different ways the plot could go. Tell me what you think, guys. ******


	8. Chapter 8

StarClan Hates Me

Jaypaw and I didn't say anything more to each other. It wasn't a matter of not wanting to say anything, but rather a fear of saying anything stupid. Or at least, that's why _I_ didn't say anything.

We went to our separate dens. Once again I could _not_ fall asleep! I was awake while each of the other apprentices clambered into their nests, their mews about the Gathering growing fainter as they all drifted into a pleasant slumber. I stared at Hollypaw as her breathing slowed to a peaceful state.

_What would she say if she knew I was in love with her brother?_

There. I said it. LOVE. I am in LOVE with Jaypaw, the medicine cat apprentice to Thunderclan who hates everyone. Except for me.

Shaking my head I scuffled in my mossy nest. Something told me I actually had to do something about this, but I'm not sure what. I can't ignore it because…I'm not that decent of a cat. And I'm not that loyal to the Warrior Code. But if I _didn't_ do anything about it, and some cat finds out, I may possibly be stuck with a very big pile of foxdung.

Again my eyes turned to Hollypaw's sleeping form.

_I wonder what her warrior name will be. _

She and her brother, the all-too-fabulous Lionpaw, were both getting their names tomorrow. Joy. Now I could be beat up _and _bossed around by psycho-kitty.

We'll just see about that.

With the slightest trace of mischief lingering on my face, I closed my eyes and was taken by sleep almost immediately.

…Only to open my eyes a second later.

It was as if I had blinked. One look and I was staring at my denmates and the next I was laying down in the middle of a forest clearing. My nose twitched, taking in the smells of the forest around me. I sat up carefully.

_Okay, this is definitely not an act of nature. _

There was no trace of cat-smell around me. Just the crisp, untainted air of the forest. The sky was clear and Silverpelt was shining brighter and closer than it usually seemed to. I stared up at the stars, lost in the beauty of the moment, until some cat interrupted me.

"Ahem," the cough sounded to my right. I turned my head around and met the eyes of three cats.

Two were female, both smelling of ThunderClan, while the other was a powerful looking male with a twisted jaw. One of the Thunderclan cats was a dark grey that looked blue with eyes to match whilst the other as a yellow-colored, flat-faced cat. All had the shimmer of stars around their paws.

They padded towards me. Common sense told me simply that they were warriors of StarClan. My irritating brain, though, couldn't get a hold on that. I was in shock, to say it in laymen's terms.

The blue-furred warrior bowed her head to me, "Greetings Racepaw," she said politely. "I am Bluestar, a former leader of Thunderclan. This is Yellowfang and Crookedstar." She flicked her tail at each in turn. The two bowed their heads to me.

I could feel my eyes get wider. "Really?" was the only word able to escape my jaws. I had heard of these three cats, from the elders and from some of the warrior's conversations.

Bluestar looked at the other two with a trace of amusement in her eyes.

"Really," Crookedstar's deep meow echoed.

"We are here, Racepaw, not only to welcome you into the life and legacy of clan cats, but also to warn you," Yellowfang locked eyes with me.

I tipped my head to one side, "Is this about the 'aid' thing?" I asked them.

Bluestar looked at me strangely, "No. This is about you and—"

I gasped suddenly, "If I poke one of you, will my paw go through you or will it hit solid flesh?" The suddeness of the question thre everybody off, except me. It was a liable question, wasn't it? I mean, they _are _spirits.

I began to blabber, "And seriously, do _all _cats glow like you three when we die? I mean, that's really amazing but I think I would rather not live my entire afterlife constantly glowing like a—"

"This isn't about what's going to happen to you when you die," Yellowfang snapped. "This is about you falling in love with a medicine cat!"

Oh.

I stood stalk still. _How do they know? Have they been __**spying **__on us? Well, they are ancestors so I guess they have to—wait a minute. What am I talking about?_

I looked at them. "You brought me to your hunting grounds," I mewed slowly, "to reprimand me for falling in love?"

Bluestar's cold eyes softened, "Look Racepaw, we have all witnessed or experienced a forbidden love. We know how it can tear apart the clans, we've seen it happen before."

"It will be very hard on you, seeing as you were adopted by the clan. You will not be trusted quite so easily, nor will you be quite so easily forgiven," Crookedstar said gravely.

I looked at Yellowfang who added, "Racepaw, you need to know that this relationship that is happening between you and Jaypaw is against the will of StarClan and all of the Clans. It's not right for a medicine cat to take a mate. You should know that."

"Whoa," I interrupted. "First of all, thank you for your concern but I think I can handle myself as can Jaypaw. Secondly, we're not _mating. _If you're worried about the whole kit thing just forget about it, it's not going to happen. And thirdly, who I fall in love with and who I happen to be around is _none of you business._"

"It is when the safety of the clans is jeopardized," Bluestar told me.

"No, you know what is jeopardizing the clans? This Sol character. Why aren't you worrying about him? And what about ShadowClan, huh? What are you doing to help them?"

"Calm down little one," Crookedstar mewed.

"No, I will not calm down!" I yowled. "You just don't get it!"

There was silence and then I went on, more quietly. "It is not your business. I'm sure you'll go lecture Jaypaw about this too, but I for one think you don't have a right digging into this mess until you figure out a way to solve the one that's rearing its ugly head right now. When ShadowClan becomes apart of the forest again and all is well, _then _you can come and give me 'the talk,' alright?"

The three cats looked at me and then at each other. Yellowfang shook her head, "It's hopeless. We all know it."

Bluestar nodded, "You're right Yellowfang. Maybe we could have hope if she wasn't like this."

"But if she wasn't like this, we wouldn't have this problem at all," Crookedstar stated.

"Think carefully, Racepaw." Bluestar looked deep into me eyes...

That was when I woke up.

It was daylight; I'd been allowed to sleep in because of the trip to the Gathering. All the other apprentices were gone and about doing their duties. I stretched luxuriously, cracking my spine several times. I yawned and started to clean my face vigorously, thinking about all that had happened between me and the StarClan warriors.

_I've probably lost my spot in StarClan for that one. 'Can I poke you?' What a stupid question._

Purring amusedly to myself I continued out of the den and into the camp.

Jaypaw was standing across the clearing, but he must have caught wind of me because he started heading in my direction. A kit who was stumbling across the floor dramatically ran into him despite his efforts to avoid the tiny creature. I watched him as he snapped at the kit and sent it, tail and ears down, back to its mother.

When he reached me he greeted me with a happy purr, "Pleasant dreams?" he questioned.

I nodded, "Oh yeah, StarClan thinks we're going to destroy the clans, they think I'm hopeless, I, apparantly, ask stupid questions, I'm still tired, and I think you're weird."

Jaypaw stiffened slightly. "StarClan spoke to you?"

"Yup."

He sat down and thought for a long moment. I licked my paw and watched him consider. Finally he muttered, "It's not like they can stop us anyway."

I stood up and pressed my body against his. "That's true. And if we're smart about it, no one will find out."

"What if they do?" he asked seriously.

I licked his ear compassionately, "Then we pretend to stay away from each other."

Jaypaw _mrrowed _a little bit. With an attempt to lighten the mood he asked, "You think I'm weird?"

"Well, you snap at an innocent kit on the way over here and then you greet me like you're the happiest, most pleasant cat on the territory. That's weird, Jaypaw."

Jaypaw twitched his whiskers, "That kit told me to watch where I was going," he defended.

"Even _I _think you should watch where you're going!" I teased.

"I'm blind!" He responded, exasperatedly. I _mrrowed_ with laughter as he shook his head at me.

"I can't believe you," he said.

"Neither can I," I told him.

Jaypaw purred and nosed my shoulder affectionately. He turned towards the Highledge, "Come on, Hollypaw and Lionpaw are about to get their warrior names."

"Yay," I said sarcastically. "Just another great opportunity for Lionpaw to believe he's almighty."

Jaypaw flicked my ear with his tail while Firestar called all of the cats together. I looked up at the sun which was positioned at sun high.

"Aren't they supposed to keep vigil at night?" I hissed to Jaypaw.

He shrugged, "Yeah, but Firestar's the leader and he get's to do whatever he wants."

"At least it'll be quiet today," I muttered. Jaypaw gave me a look. I glanced around at the cats near me, none of whom were watching us, and nosed him. "Okay, I'm sorry. I'll stop being so mean to them. I promise."

Jaypaw touched my nose with his briefly and then we turned to pay attention to the ceremony, unawares of the eyes watching us the entire time.

**A/N- I just felt like updating quickly. Was this a filler chapter? I don't think so. Maybe it was. What do you guys think?**

**By the way, I am SO flattered with the reviews and the favorites and the alerts. I'm so happy everyone likes it so far. **

**I know the past two chapters haven't been top-notch. The seventh was a more serious chapter and this one was kind of silly. But I think they get the point across and also start up a few brain teasers. Thank you to ALL of my reviewers, past and present. And to all those who have even so much as read this story, I praise you everyday to anyone who cares in my school. **

**I think this chapter was disorganized, I'll probably get a reviewer who says just as much, and I know I could _probably _go back and organize it, but I'm really too lazy to really try. Actually, after looking over all of my chapters. I don't think they're any good but it's what you guys think that keeps me going :D **

**This story is basically my remake of the great big battle, that's why Squirrelflight isn't injured and stuff. But that's all okay because all I really need to know is WHAT YOU THINK. Review please!**


	9. Chapter 9

Playing in the Snow

Frisky excitement bubbled up from my stomach and coursed all through my little body. Kit like apprehension exploded in my blood as I scuffled my paws on the ground, resisting my primal instinct to lea out and destroy the calm before me. I snapped at the air, purring delightedly as the cold air filled my lungs and came out in great plumes of white. What's the cause for my celebration? It's quite simple really.

Snow!

Finally the congested clouds that had hung in the sky for three full days had discharged a huge amount of white snowflakes upon all of the Clan's territories.

The place: early morning, the sky is still overcast with the promise of more snow to fall, and hardly any cat in camp was up and about.

The challenge: before me lay a vast expanse of untouched snow. The white was blinding but the temptation to leap in the snow and ruin its perfection was absolutely delicious.

The problem: frolicking around camp would ruin my image. I've made my mark on ThunderClan as the cool outsider, the one who fits in everywhere but is sly enough to have her own unreachable level.

If some cat saw me expressing my joy right out in the open, all of that would fall apart.

The choice: _I'll just have to go out to some clearing in the woods and ruin that instead, _I thought ruefully. Ah the frustration of being awesome. It really restricted you sometimes.

Feeling restless, I stomped across the clearing, the fresh snow crunching beneath my paws in a satisfactory way. I padded over to the fresh-kill pile, sniffing at the depleted lot of mice and sparrows. _Maybe I should go hunting right now. I'm sure Graystripe will send me out anyway._

I sniffed once at the pile and then tramped further around the clearing. I couldn't just leave the camp without telling Graystripe first, and my lazy mentor wasn't even up yet.

I tried to clean off some of the sticky balls of snow from between my claws when two warriors got up. It was Hollyleaf and her mother, Squirrelflight. I stared at them as they padded towards the medicine cat den, their heads close together in hushed conversation.

I sighed; Hollyleaf and I had drifted quite a bit ever since she became a warrior. I think her promotion either got to her head or she just stopped liking me. She enjoyed leading way too much for her own good and she was completely intolerable when she was head of a hunting patrol.

_Bossy she-cat,_ I thought sourly, thinking of all of the orders she had given to me without a 'thank you' or 'please.'

Just as the snowflakes began to sprinkle from the sky Graystripe bounded out of his den. He saw me standing at the edge of camp and went over to me.

"Great Racepaw, you're up!" I nodded stiffly, ice cracking on the back of my neck. I'd sat in the same position for so long; my fur was frozen in place.

_I'll probably shatter if I stand up,_ I thought grimly.

"Can I go out hunting?" I asked Graystripe just as he opened his mouth to say something. His eyes shone proudly that I wanted to brave the snow for the Clan's wellbeing.

Actually, I just wanted to get warm and destroy some snow, but it was nice that he thought that I cared about the Clan's well-being.

"Sure, do you want someone to go with you?"

I shook my head quickly, "No, I-I want to see how much prey I can catch by myself."

Graystripe nodded, "Okay Racepaw, be back by sunhigh." With that my mentor turned around and went to talk to Sandstorm and Firestar in the center of the clearing.

_I wonder if he'll brag about me._ I growled quietly at myself for thinking something so selfish and stood up.

Just as I thought my fur crackled as the ice that had settled on it was disturbed. I shook myself quickly and went out into the forest. I turned in the direction of the ShadowClan border, sniffing along the frozen ground for prey. Most of the creatures were hiding in their dens, but some, like squirrels, were still actively darting around the trees, chatting with each other. I spotted one of the nervous creatures in front of me, patting at a nut on the ground.

I got down on my haunches, raising on paw and narrowing my eyes. Then with a gigantic leap I fell on top of the creature, biting down on its scrawny neck. It died without making a sound. I buried the squirrel beneath some dead leaves and loose dirt before continuing on.

Despite my easy first catch, prey became much harder to find later on. It was almost sunhigh and I had only caught two mice and a blackbird when I ran into a ThunderClan cat.

It's stupid, really. I was tracking the scent of a rabbit intently through some bushes, my nose to the ground and paws treading light.

_I look like an idiot, _I thought, raising my head and smacking right into Berrynose's face.

I stifled a loud yowl of surprise and pain at the sight of my creamy-colored, hot-headed clanmate.

"Watch where you're going, Racepaw," Berrynose growled, rubbing his face with one paw. I twisted my ears back, but I was more angry then embarrassed.

"I'm hunting," I snapped. "Get out of my way."

Berrynose gave me a look, "So am I."

I flicked my tail, "What a great hunting technique Berrynose. Do you just sit here all day in the forest and wait for the prey to die in your paws." I rolled my eyes sarcastically at him. That's all he had been doing, sitting there in the bushes.

Berrynose's eyes flared, "I _was _stalking a rabbit until you got in _my _way."

"_I _was stalking that rabbit first," I replied.

Berrynose rolled his eyes, "Yeah, well, the scent disappears here so I don't think either of us will get it."

_This is weird, _I thought. _Usually he's all high-and-mighty to everyone. He's still acting like a piece of foxdung but he's not so…sharp. Maybe the cold air is deflating his head a bit._

I took in a deep breath, standing up and turning back the way I came. "Well, I'm going to get my fresh-kill and go back to camp. It's almost sunhigh." _Run Racepaw, RUN! Before he says something so stupid you'll __**have**__ to kill him for it!_

"Hey, wait," I stopped reluctantly and faced the warrior. He didn't look directly at me.

"Let me go grab my fresh-kill and we'll hunt together on the way back to camp."

I blinked blankly at the cat. _Seriously? I'm supposed to trek __**all the way **__back to camp with this furball?_

"Sure," I said. _Starclan help me._

Berrynose nodded, looking a little shocked himself. "O-okay, hold on."

I sat down, irritated that I had to wait for this worthless warrior in the cold.

_I didn't even get to play in the snow! _I froze, shell-shocked. Life suddenly lost all meaning. _I can't believe I forgot. _I bowed my head in mourning, scratching the ground dejectedly.

"Okay, we can-" Berrynose's muffled voice stopped. "What?"

I shrugged, "Its nothing. Let's just go." I turned around and followed my own scent trail back to the prey I had caught. Several times I brushed against prickly bushes and tripped over rocks but I didn't feel the pain. Berrynose didn't say anything to me about my depression or my measly catch.

We were halfway to camp when suddenly a dollop of snow exploded on the back of my head. I spun around, peering suspiciously at the branches above my head. Berrynose snickered. I glared at him, glancing at his snow covered paw.

I drew back in surprise and fear and he scooped up another paw-full and hurled it at me. I barely managed to scramble out of the way before it hit me in the face. I dropped my prey on the ground and stalked up to him. He dumped his two birds and three mice on the ground too and we circled.

Finally I leaped at him and landed square on his back. He tried to shake me off and then tried to squish me beneath him but I was too quick. I jumped up and batted his stomach playfully. He growled and threw me off, eventually pinning me in the snow.

I gasped as his weight suddenly left me, my mood restored. My fur was spiked with snow and my eyes were wide and bright. Adrenaline was coursing through my body and my wild eagerness from the days of being a rogue was back.

Berrynose chuckled and picked his prey back up. He stood there and waited for me to smooth down my fur and follow him.

We arrived back at camp to a full fresh-kill pile. Graystripe praised me over my success at catching a squirrel and said he hadn't been so lucky when he had gone out hunting. He didn't question my damp fur, which was good.

Jaypaw wasn't in camp. He and Leafpool had gone out herb hunting and for a moment I felt saddened. I wanted to share my story about Berrynose with him. _He's not __**that **__bad of a cat, when he wants to be._

"Hey," Berrynose said, waking me up from my thoughts. "Are you going to eat or what?"

Right on cue my stomach grumbled. I slicked one ear back in embarrassment and chose a mouse from the pile. I was about to bound over to my usual lonely spot by the apprentice den when Berrynose beckoned me towards Ashfur. I looked at him questioningly. He flicked his head in the universal 'come with me' sign and went to Ashfur.

I followed him tentatively.

_Oh boy._

I sat down uneasily next to the two males. Ashfur glanced at Berrynose and then shrugged. Frankly, I didn't like either of these cats that much. One was an obnoxious piece of foxdung, (most of the time) and the other was a snob (24/7). Hanging out with them may just ruin my image completely.

"So Racepaw," Berrynose said as I chewed on a tough piece of mouse. "What-uh, what possessed you to join ThunderClan in the first place?"

_He's asking me why I'm here. What a conversation starter._

"Because…I didn't really have a choice. StarClan had spoken, who am I to go against their will?" A small trace of sarcasm crept into my voice. Berrynose and Ashfur's whiskers twitched.

"That's a good reason," Ashfur told me. "It was a StarClan miracle that let you survive the fall in the first place."

_No, I'm just so cool falling off of cliffs doesn't kill me._

"Too bad you joined at a time when the Clans are so…conflicted," Berrynose said sadly. "It wasn't always like this."

Ashfur snorted, "Yeah, back in the days there was constant peace and every cat loved each other despite their clan boundaries." Ashfur stared mockingly at Berrynose who flared with anger.

"Of course it was never like that, mousebrain. That wasn't what I meant."

"Well you should stop talking like there used to be peace, okay? Because there never was and there never will be."

"Yes there was! You're an old cat; surely you must've seen peace at some point in your life."

"You're just and inexperienced barn cat, you don't know what you're talking about."

"I'm a better warrior than you!"

"Hey look! Jaypaw's back!" I interrupted suddenly. My love was trudging across the clearing with a mouthful of green leaves, Leafpool at his side. _Come save me! _I called to him in my mind. Somehow, he didn't here me.

"So what?" Berrynose muttered, still glaring at Ashfur.

"So…I think that I might be coming down with something. A-a cold. Yes that's right." _Anything to get away from these two._

Berrynose looked alarmed, "Are you okay? Do you feel feverish?"

I half shook my head, "I-I don't know. I'm going to go talk to Jaypaw. See what he says." I slid away from the two warriors and intercepted Jaypaw at the mouth of his den. He beckoned me inside, his blue eyes lighting up a little bit.

Berrynose was staring at the mouth of the medicine cat den, his muscles tense with worry.

"You're so sickeningly _obvious _Berrynose," Ashfur told his companion.

"You chased her off!" Berrynose accused.

"She doesn't like you anyway, why do you care?" Seasons of heartbreak had made Ashfur a prickly warrior.

Berrynose shrugged, "She might," he muttered, thinking about the wiry she-cat he had very suddenly fancied. _There's no one else she could possibly like in camp, right? She doesn't talk to any other cats aside from Jaypaw, and she only gets assigned to help him with his duties. Plus he himself hates everyone. Why wouldn't she like me if I talk to her enough?_

A few minutes later Racepaw and Jaypaw emerged from the den. Berrynose almost stood up but instead watched them chat together. Ashfur watched the two too, eyes narrowed.

That was when the wind began to howl and snow started pouring from the sky, forcing all cats to dive for shelter. Jaypaw and Racepaw sat huddled together inside the Elder's den. They listened to stories as the snowstorm howled outside. Berrynose sat in the warriors den, thinking furtively of ways to make Racepaw see that he wasn't quite as bad as everyone knew he was. He wanted to show her that he would change for her.

Over in ShadowClan's territory, the screech of a cat was cut off as the first life in the line of many was taken by the overlord Sol.

**A/N- Yes, I know I haven't updated in a month but I was having a hard time finding Racepaw's voice. The plot is thickening, OOO!!! What will happen next? I'll give you a hint. **

**It has to do with ShadowClan territory and a certain curious apprentice of ours. **

**o.o Oh, what could our young author mean? Stay tuned for next time on-**

**Sorry, I'll stop being weird now. Please review!**


	10. Chapter 10

I Didn't Do It!

It was the new moon, and my achy breaky heart knew exactly what that meant. A whole night in camp deprived of a special blind cat who hated everyone. 'Cept me of course, apparently I was the exception to _every _rule.

I sighed for the tenth time, brushing a dead leaf absently. Ever since Leaf Bare had come upon us, Jaypaw and I hadn't been able to get out much. I was almost constantly hunting, and he was curing cats with colds. There weren't any herbs to go looking for because they were all dead or collected. Jaypaw and I got our kicks when we met at the fresh-kill pile alone, or we stopped for a short conversation every four days.

It hurt a lot to not be with him. Every day I would reminisce of the time we spent at the Clearing he showed me. All of our play fights, stories, and sleepy cuddling seemed very far away sometimes.

Gradually I started to wander the forest as I hunted. Going back to camp gave me very little satisfaction, and Graystripe never noticed. He had become very proud of me lately, for taking on so much responsibility. Graystripe said he would ask Firestar to make me a warrior when Newlef came around. That sparked my creativity at least, and gave me something to ponder about.

_What could he possibly name me? _I wondered. _Racelegs? Oh StarClan no! Racefur?…eh, maybe Race…claw? Foot? Ear? How does Firestar come up with these things?_

Shaking my head I padded further into the pitch black woods. Oh, I forgot to mention. My sleepless nights have gotten steadily worse as Jaypaw and I saw each other less and less, so I've been wandering the forest at night regularly.

During these trips I would remember longingly the freedom of being a rogue. No one to worry about at camp. No fussy elders to feed or bossy warriors to be pestered by. Just me, all alone, running around the territory.

I've been considering actually leaving ThunderClan territory and wandering beyond the hills at night, just to get a taste of really being outside the clan. But the moors beyond the territory seemed too far for me to wander to and froe in just half the night. I _would_ go and test it tonight, but with the medicine cats up at the Moonpool I might be scented and found out by Leafpool.

So tonight I thought I'd go by ShadowClan's territory, maybe get a glimpse of the scattered clan. I still hadn't seen a ShadowClan cat, remember?

I also wanted to know if those cats were wandering over our border for prey. I seemed to be the only logical cat in the entire Clan besides Jaypaw. Didn't they realize that a bunch of rogue-like cats were hunting _right next to _our territory? I've been a rogue before, and if all of those cats are over there hunting for themselves then they are _definitely _going to come over to our territory for even the skimpiest mouse.

Why didn't I tell Firestar my opinion? Honestly, I just wanted the glory of being the cat who stopped the intruders from stealing our prey.

I haven't made any kind of legacy while I've been here, besides winning over Jaypaw. And no one knew about that nor will they. I think it's fair to want some kind of glory attached to my name, right? Besides, the other three clans _have _to start doing something about this pack of rogues on our border. It doesn't take an omen from StarClan for the cats to know it's just a War waiting to happen.

My pelt pricked at the thought of an all out war between all four clans. _That would just rip this lovely little clan lifestyle apart, wouldn't it?_

I stopped at the edge of the clearing right next to the border. I sniffed deeply, detaching myself from reality a little bit as I searched for intruders. ShadowClan scent was extremely faint. _Aren't they marking their own borders? _I thought. ThunderClan scent was almost overpowering ShadowClan's.

_We might end up taking over their territory simply because the border will fade completely. _

There were no fresh cat smells so I turned away and padded down toward the lake. _I thought they were night hunter, _I thought frustratedly_. _StarClan punish these cats for making me wait!

_I'm going crazy, _I thought to myself. _I'm talking to myself __**and **__hoping that ShadowClan will invade our territory. Graystripe would swoon if he knew I was thinking this._

_I miss Jaypaw._

The thought was so sudden, so sad amongst my other thoughts I stopped dead and sat down.

Jaypaw. I have to see that cat again; I might die from loneliness if I don't_. _

I bowed my head, whining a little in grief.

"Racepaw?"

I almost died of fright. My heart lodged my throat as I spun around, claws unsheathed and fur sticking up in several directions. Emerging from the undergrowth behind me was—Berrynose?

My eyes got even wider from disbelief as Berrynose looked at me, a small trace of amusement in his pale brown eyes.

"B-Berrynose!" I gasped. "What in the name of StarClan do you think you're _doing?_" I kept my voice at a low hiss, barely swallowing my yowl of confusion.

Was this cat _stalking _me?

"I came out here to ask you the same thing," he mewed quietly.

I flattened my fur and sheathed my claws, annoyance now prickling at my fur. _Great, now he knows that I've been sneaking out of camp. He'll probably blackmail me. _

Berrynose stared at me, waiting. I looked at him and shook my head. _I can tell him…part of the truth._

"I'm patrolling," I mewed stiffly. Even to me, my gaze felt hard.

Berrynose tipped his head curiously, "All alone?"

"Obviously."

Berrynose snorted, "It's dangerous you know. A ShadowClan cat might attack you if they see you out here all alone."

"I'm sure I can take care of myself," I snarled.

One of his ears flicked and he looked a little…hurt? No, it wasn't that. Maybe…annoyed at himself? Agh! This cat was so annoying!

"Sorry. You're right; you can take care of yourself just fine."

Berrynose looked down for a second. I gaped at the tomcat. _Did he just __**apologize?**__Who __**is **__cat?_

"If you don't want any company, I guess I'll just go back to camp." Berrynose turned around to leave, tail dragging dejectedly.

_Whoa, whoa, WHOA! What in…in…what is going on?!_

"Wait!" I called out to him, wincing as my voice rang in the trees. Berrynose stopped and looked over his shoulder.

I flicked my tail uneasily. _I guess he's just trying to be nice. He's been pretty cool lately. Maybe I can let him tag along…_

"Do you…do you want to come with me? I'll be going back soon but, well, I'm a little lonely. I guess." I gritted my teeth; half-hoping he'd say no.

Berrynose's eyes were soft when I looked at them. He looked kind of happy. "Sure."

That's the story of when I started feeling a little fond of the mousebrain.

He walked in silence down towards the lake with me. It was comforting to be standing next to someone, I won't lie. Even if that someone was a sharp-tongued, hot-headed, jerk. _Sounds kind of familiar, _I thought absently.

Suddenly, I stopped.

_He's kind of like Jaypaw! _My eyes grew wide as I turned to stare at Berrynose. He looked at me, his face unreadable.

"Racepaw?"

I shook my head, trying to chase away my thoughts. _Oh no. That's not a good thought. Stop it Racepaw! I've got to get back to camp quick and process this information. _

I glanced at him, "Oh, nothing. I just thought I smelled…fox."

Berrynose sniffed the air. Of course there was no fox scent in the air. Berrynose gave me a weird look.

"I think you're hallucinating," he told me. I chuckled nervously, "Yeah, I guess I'm just tired. Let's go back to camp before someone figures out we're gone."

"Okay."

We took three pawsteps into the woods before a small splash stopped us in our tracks. The sound had come from the stream by the ShadowClan border behind us. I crouched low and whipped behind the nearest bush, peering earnestly at the ShadowClan border.

A small shape was lying half in the stream. It was too dark to make out anything about the cat. The bushes along ShadowClan border rustled as two cats padded back into their side of the woods. The wind picked up and breezed in our direction.

On it carried the faint smell of ShadowClan and…RiverClan? My ears twisted in confusion. _What's a RiverClan cat doing in way over here?_

I suddenly remembered Sol's proposition at the Gathering that seemed an eternity ago. _Any cat who wants to join me…_

I looked over at Berrynose. He met my eyes and silently told me to wait. I kneaded the ground irritatedly. I wanted to know who that RiverClan cat was.

We crouched behind the bush for a long while until we were absolutely sure that the two cats would not come back. During that time the small shape at the edge of the water never moved. Finally, the anticipation grew too much for me and I slid forward, lying close to the ground.

I glanced up and down the stream and then jumped across easily.

I landed for the first time in Shadowclan territory. Tantalizing excitement rushed through my paws as soon as they struck the ground. _I'm trespassing on another clan's territory! Awesome!_

Berrynose slunk up on the other side of the limp body of the cat lying in the stream. Carefully we sniffed at the wet fur.

The cat was male with glossy black-grey fur. He stunk of RiverClan. His eyes were closed and his lips drawn back in half of a snarl. He was very, very dead.

_He looks familiar. _I scoured my mind to put a name to the face. _Oh right! He's that apprentice that snapped at me at the Gathering._

My eyes opened wide. _He betrayed his Clan to become a rogue. Wow._

"This is Sneezepaw," Berrynose mewed in disbelief.

_What an unfortunate name_. "Who killed him? Can you tell?" I breathed.

"No, I can't tell."

My stomach dropped suddenly. It was very sad to see the dead apprentice so far away from his clan mates, so far away from the grief his Clan would bestow upon him. Why would he come to ShadowClan? He was a clan cat born and raised. Even _I _wouldn't betray my Clan to follow Sol.

Berrynose shook his head. "Maybe a fight went on between him and a few ShadowClan warriors and he was killed accidently."

I looked at the mortal wound on his neck. "That doesn't look accidental to me," I mewed.

Berrynose sighed. "We've got to get him back to his Clan."

My eyes widened, "Berrynose, RiverClan will smell our scent on him. They'll think that ThunderClan did it! They might invade us if we bring him back!"

"Well then what do you suggest we do? Just leave him here?"

"Yes!" Berrynose stared at me, shock clear in his face. I went on eagerly to explain my logic to him. "A ThunderClan patrol will find him tomorrow! Then someone else can take care of it and no one has to know we found him first!"

Berrynose considered it for a moment and opened his mouth to say something when a rustling of leaves interrupted him.

A cat stepped out of the bushes, stopping suddenly at the sight of us. I unsheathed my claws at the sound, preparing for the yowl of battle sure to come. Berrynose also crouched down in his battle stance, preparing for an attack.

"What are you two doing here?" A tawny colored she-cat stepped forward, glaring at us and then the body.

"We're wondering why a RiverClan cat was murdered by some of your clanmates, Tawnypelt." Berrynose hissed.

The amber-eyed she-cat glared at us, "ShadowClan cats didn't do this. I don't know who did. I just saw them take away his body."

"Why are you here then?" I growled, never moving my gaze from her face.

Tawnypelt's eyes got mournful, "I'm here to take his body back to his clan."

The bushes rustled again as another cat stepped forward. This one was a large, ginger color tom cat. He stood protectively at Tawnypelt's side. Berrynose and I exchanged glances and moved from our battle positions. We stood back as the two cats leaned over and picked up the limp body.

Slowly they carried Sneezepaw away. They faded from sight within moments, leaving Berrynose and I alone.

"Are we going to tell anyone about this?" I murmured to my clanmate.

Berrynose's fur was ruffled uneasily. "I—I don't know. No, I don't think so. Leopardstar will say something about it in the next Gathering. Hopefully, we won't be dragged into it."

I nodded, taking a deep breath in.

_Life wasn't nearly this malevolent when I was a rogue. _

Berrynose led the way back to camp. We both snuck in our own ways without another word to each other. I didn't want to sleep, but I ended up trapped in dream darkness without too much resistance.

I dreamt about my rogue days. The days mother was alive, the day she tried to kill me and died. I dreamt of the day I was pursued by a gang of large rogues who were angry at me for hunting in "their territory." I dreamt of Berrynose, the warrior older, larger, and weirder than me.

Finally I dreamt of Jaypaw, and that was when I woke up.

"Racepaw," a cat's voice hissed in my ear.

"Mmph," I growled, burying my head in my paws.

A paw prodded my head. "Racepaw, wake up."

"I don' wanna," I whined.

The cat who was rudely taking me from my sleep breathed in my ear. "But we have the chance to spend the whole day together."

I jumped up out of my nest, looking wildly at Jaypaw. He _mrrowed _with laughter. "Come on, Leafpool's letting me get out of camp for a little while and I want you to come with me. I have to tell you something that happened last night, it's important."

His tone was light-hearted but had an underlying seriousness to it.

I nodded, "Yeah, me too."

**A/N- I don't have anything personal against Sneezepaw, but hey, I wanted to kill a RiverClan cat. **

**To my reviewers, I love you all. Really! I'm so happy this story is successful. It honestly wasn't supposed to be, I didn't think many people would like it. Obviously I was wrong. **

**I need you to do me a favor this time around. What should Racepaw's warrior name be? I can't come up with any really good names, and if you suggest a name for me in your review, I'll choose my top three favorites, give you an honorary mention in one of these fancy-schmancy author's notes. Then I'll choose the winner when it comes time to name Racepaw. **

**:D Thank you sooooo much for your reviews! Please review again and I'll try to post more quickly! **


	11. Chapter 11

Uh-Oh

The light outside the den was blinding, but when I looked up at the sky through narrowed eyes I couldn't see the sun, just a wall of grey matter. I sighed slightly; the sun hadn't shined through the clouds in days. I think my fur was beginning to pale because of it.

The camp was unusually busy; all the cats were bustling like a hive of bees. I paused to wonder over the scene, _had Berrynose told some cat about last night? _It was possible, who know what that loud mouthed furball said to Ashfur.

Jaypaw nudged me, "Quick, before someone notices us."

We slid out through the entrance, Cloudtail nodding to us. It was typical for Jaypaw and I to leave camp together, all of the cats in the Clan had accepted that not long ago. No cat really minded, I guess it was because everyone thought that Jaypaw hated the world.

Which he sort of did.

Jaypaw headed in the direction of the Clearing. My heart leaped at little. We had stopped making this trip since Leaf-Bare arrived. _I wonder how it'll look covering in snow._

"Jaypaw," I mewed after a long silence. "What's going on?"

Jaypaw shook out his fur angrily, "Nothing…really. I just, I could be misinterpreting…" He muttered the last part to himself.

"What?" I pestered. Suddenly I remembered that he had shared tongues with StarClan last night. "What did StarClan say?" I urged. _Probably tried to stick their noses into our personal lives again. _I thought disgustedly,_ The only time I ever want to hear from them again is if they decide to apologize and say the have come to understand our choice. Hah, as if they really understood the simplicity of our love._

Jaypaw glanced in my direction, stumbling over a snow-covered root. "Mousedung!" he hissed, shaking his paw. "It's more of what they _didn't _say," Jaypaw growled.

I blinked at my love and flicked my ears in thought. "Well then why don't I tell you what happened to _me_ last night, maybe StarClan's message will make sense then."

Jaypaw turned his head in interest, "Okay."

I relayed the happenings of the night to Jaypaw, not leaving a single detail out. By the time I finished we were sitting in the center of the snow covered Clearing. Jaypaw was obviously put-off about the dead RiverClan apprentice. I, myself, couldn't feel much remorse for the dead cat. This "heartlessness" came from my days as a rogue and being surrounded by the deaths of other rogues.

I may or may not have killed some of them myself.

"Oh no," he growled.

"What's wrong Jaypaw?" I asked anxiously.

Jaypaw shook his head, "I think that things are much worse then StarClan let on. Their warning was pretty dire, but it honestly didn't seem as dark as this new situation is. And usually they make it so _overdramatic-_"

"Spit it out furball!" I snapped, losing my patience.

Jaypaw's whiskers twitched, "Hold your fur! Great StarClan! Fine, I'll tell you."

"Finally." My voice softened with slight amusement so that he knew I wasn't really that mad at him.

"So, we drank from the Moonpool…" Jaypaw began.

_**-The Dream-**_

Jaypaw's eyes closed and opened within moments. One moment he was cold, his fur pricked with anxiety, and his thoughts were peppered with worry at what StarClan had in store for him. In the next moment he was in a warmly lit glen. His eyes blinked as the sunshine pierced the sky.

He looked around, taking in the beauty of the place. It was a clearing that was not present around the lake. The leaves on the trees glittered, brightly colored flowers sprung up from the long grass, everything about it sung utopia.

"Jaypaw."

The apprentice resisted a sigh and turned around. Sitting behind him were three cats, Bluestar, Yellowfang, and a cat he didn't recognize. He smelled of RiverClan and had a badly twisted jaw. Memory pricked at his mind at the sight of the RiverClan male but he couldn't put a name to the face.

He bowed his head in respect.

"Young medicine cat," Bluestar mewed. "The path you walk and the paths that you affect are so deeply intertwined that there may be no way out."

Jaypaw's eyes widened slightly, meeting Bluestar's sympathetic yet serious gaze.

"You mean…me and Racepaw, right?" It was no secret between these three about his forbidden love for the flighty she-cat.

Yellowfang bared her teeth, "Not only that, apprentice. You can't even _begin_ to comprehend the Fates you have affected by falling in love with that she-cat."

"Or simply by allowing her into the Clan," the RiverClan cat grumbled.

"The fact that she is now one of the clan has changed the path of your intended destiny," Bluestar mewed gravely. Now, nothing can light this impending darkness."

Jaypaw narrowed his eyes, "We're not doing any harm so far, so if you want to give me your warning and let me figure it out so that I can help the Clan, kindly stop criticizing my choices."

Bluestar sighed and Yellowfang rolled her eyes. It was the RiverClan tom with the crooked jaw that stepped forward, a solemn light in his eyes.

_Crookedstar, _Jaypaw remembered. _That's his name._

Crookedstar was suddenly in front of him, looming over Jaypaw. "_One life for many; or many lives for the sake of one._" It was a simple enough prophecy, with not much menace behind it.

The sun that was keeping Jaypaw warm suddenly melted, morphing into a frozen ball. The StarClan warriors disappeared with the light, leaving Jaypaw to panic alone. The wind picked up into a bloodcurdling howl, almost sweeping Jaypaw off his paws. He was freezing cold and yowling for help. The glen was gone; there was nothing in the world but biting wind and darkness. He thought he was running but he couldn't see. All of his sense of direction was gone.

He yowled in terror as suddenly a golden-red light appeared before him, eating up the sky. The silhouette of a huge cat with red eyes growled down at him. Behind that cat came the screeches of cats fighting, ripping each other apart.

Jaypaw's heart was torn into pieces. Fright, shock, anger, disbelief, and all other emotions raced around in his chest.

He awoke from the nightmare suddenly, panting and shivering. The other medicine cats were just stirring. When they awoke, Jaypaw couldn't tell if they had received the same warning of death and destruction. Leafpool seemed the least worried of them all.

Jaypaw tucked his head down against the cold and followed Leafpool's scent back to camp. His thoughts were racing, ways to stop the impending danger were present but none made sense.

_I don't even know what the danger is. _He felt the urge to yowl at the top of his lungs and screech at the stars for guidance. _What's the point of giving me such vague warnings? _Despite his torture, Jaypaw slept instantly when he got back to camp, his dreams empty of all thoughts.

_**-Back in the Clearing-**_

My mind was frozen. Shock made my muscles like led as Jaypaw finished his tale. Slowly, the ice in my brain began to crack as the first few questions came to mind:

_What life could be sacrificed? What kind of horror are we talking about? What cat is killing the cats in ShadowClan's borders? What is going on?_

I had no solution. I blinked a few times, noticing that Jaypaw was shivering with cold. Or maybe fear; I wasn't sure. I padded up to my best friend and pressed my pelt against his, licking his ear comfortingly.

"It'll be okay. You and me, we'll stop this. It's not our fault; StarClan's just being sour because they think the world's going to end." I nuzzled him and Jaypaw breathed out a relieved sigh.

"Sure," he said uncertainly. "We'll figure something out."

"Maybe we should tell Firestar about Sneezepaw. If Sol's killing cats over in ShadowClan territory and leaving the bodies by the border, he could be trying to start a war between clans." The thought just occurred to me out of no where. _It's devious, _I thought. _Desperate cats in ShadowClan would totally believe it. And most wouldn't oppose an all out battle between all four clans. _

"Great," Jaypaw mewed scathingly, "just great. Sol's trying to start a war, StarClan is sending me vague prophecies about destruction and claiming that it's my fault, and you and I _still _don't get to be around each other nearly enough to keep my fur intact. Life totally _rocks _right now."

I purred, "You're right. Somehow, this is how I pictured Clan life when Hollyleaf told me how fulfilling it was."

Jaypaw growled but I could sense that he felt better. So did I, for that matter. I felt better than I had in days. Despite the looming apocalypse, I was actually feeling pretty light-hearted. If either of us had noticed the cat in the bushes, listening to our last words, we may have committed murder or suicide. Or both.

But we didn't, and so the darkness began to block out the light.

_**-Back at camp-**_

Leafpool stirred uneasily in her sleep. Dreams of biting wind and dark snow were plaguing her well-needed rest. Finally she awoke with two familiar sounding yowls for help still lingering in her ears. For a moment she didn't move her heart stopping for a brief second when her mind recognized the voices from her dream.

_Racepaw and Jaypaw!_

Leafpool knew that they were probably out in the forest together. Leafpool scrambled up from her nest and burst out of her den.

"Firestar!" she yowled for her father. The flame colored tom leapt up from where he was eating with a few of the senior warriors.

"Leafpool!" he gasped, bounding over to her. "What is it?"

Several other cats came to crowd around them, their pelts bristling at the fear in their medicine cat's eyes.

"It's Racepaw and Jaypaw," Leafpool rushed. "They're out in the forest somewhere, right?"

Cloudtail spoke up from outside the crowd, "They left not long ago."

"Well someone go find them," Leafpool snapped, her eyes blazing.

"Calm down," Firestar mewed calmly, stroking his daughter's pelt with his tail. "What do you think has happened to them?"

"A snowstorm is coming and they're going to be stuck out there if some cat doesn't go find them!" Leafpool snarled, her fur bristling. "We need to get them back in camp _now _or they probably won't survive-"

Just then a freezing wind cut across the hollow, blowing some cats almost off their feet. Snow began to pour from the sky with frightening spontaneity and every cat raced for shelter. Firestar led the shocked Leafpool back into her den.

Leafpool's heart was sick with worry; she knew that Firestar wouldn't send out a search patrol in this weather.

_Please StarClan, _she prayed in her head. _Let them live. _

In the warriors den Ashfur slipped in last, his fur practically frozen to his skin.

"Where were you?" Berrynose asked from his nest in the corner.

Ashfur shook himself. "Out in the forest. Luckily I was right by camp when the wind picked up. It's impossible to see out there."

Berrynose's ears pricked up, "Did you happen to see Jaypaw or Racepaw nearby?" He mewed anxiously.

Ashfur gave him a look, "No, why?"

"Because that means that they're probably still out there in the storm," Honeyfern whispered.

Ashfur didn't say anything to that, he just curled up silently in his nest and began to lick the ice from his fur. He examined Berrynose from the corner of his eye. The young warrior looked half-mad with worry. Ashfur resisted a sympathetic sigh.

_If only he knew that I could have very well rescued his love and that wretched medicine cat apprentice. Perhaps I should have gone to find them and warn them about the snowstorm I smelt on the wind instead of turning back for camp. Ah well. _

Ashfur half shrugged. He could care less about Squirrelflight's brat or that rogue who managed to become and apart of the Clan. Ashfur fell into a peaceful sleep without a care in the world, not at all worried about the two young cats fighting for their lives out in the snow.

**A/N- I know, it's been like, two weeks. I should have posted this last week but it was only half done and I didn't have any idea what the prophecy should be. It's still kind of lame but I think it gets the point across well. **

**Here are the much anticipated results of Racepaw's future warrior name. Surprisingly, almost every single one of you asked for this name which came in as number one:**

**Raceheart!**

**As for second place, this name was suggested by two readers:**

**Racingwind**

**I quite like that one but it reminds me of my all-time favorite warrior Runningwind, which then makes me sad because he was the best ThunderClan warrior who ever lived. 'Cept Tigerstar and Brambleclaw, they are pretty cool too. **

**Finally, I had to choose my favorite as a third place:**

**Racingshadow**

**I like this one because Shadow means something to me and I think it sounded kind of cool. Also, as the author, I am entitled to make a suggestion although I would like you readers to decide for me, (by the way, this name is coming from Flarefur's suggestion of an 'ist' name)**

**Racemist**

**I don't know, it sounds cool and has a little bit of a meaning to it. Anyway, review and tell me what you think. I'll probably have the 12th chapter up next week, keep reading!**

**P.S- thank you all who tell me that this is a decent story, and to every single one of my reviewers. You're the best! I wish I could take up more space and name each and every one of you, but maybe I'll do that at the end of this story instead. **


	12. Chapter 12

Trapped

"So Jaypaw," I started, an urgent thought suddenly crossing my mind. "Maybe we should start thinking more about the future, you know, _our _future." I blinked at the dark grey tomcat, trying to keep my fur from prickling with nervousness.

Jaypaw's ears twitched, "What exactly do you mean by that?"

I took a deep breath in, looking down at my paws. "Well, I mean, we know that we're in love and we're pretty confident about keeping it a secret and all…but I really think that Berrynose—"

A howling wind tore the next word from my mouth. I hissed as the biting wind buffeted my fur and almost drove me off my paws. The sky seemed to erupt above our heads, sending wet snow down onto the forest.

"Jaypaw!" I yowled over the wind, struggling to take the three pawsteps it took to get beside him. "We have to get back to the hollow!" Panic was racing through my small body as the wind began to scream and the snow pounded into our bodies on all sides.

Jaypaw's eyes were almost closed against the wind, which brought me up short. _I _could barely see in the sudden downpour, how was I supposed to get a blind cat all the way back to the hollow especially in this weather?

_You can't, _my rogue instincts told me. _Find shelter elsewhere. _

I struggled to think of a good place to hide from the storm. A large collection of thick bramble bushes came to mind. They weren't that far from the Clearing. They were strong and would provide good shelter for me and Jaypaw.

"Grab my tail," I growled into Jaypaw's ear. The tomcat obeyed me, fixing the end of my tail between his teeth. I began to push forward against the wind, heading hopefully in the right direction. By the time it took me to get inside the tree line, I was frozen stiff. I could no longer feel the sharp pricks of Jaypaw's fangs on my tail.

The wind wasn't as bad in the forest, but the snow still managed to sweep through the branches of trees and pour down on our backs. I struggled on, _StarClan you better not let us die here, _I growled in my head. _Or else I will seriously harm you when I get up there. _

Finally, after an agonizingly long time, I smashed face first into a bramble bush. Snarling in frustration I circled around the bushes until I finally found a small opening that I could fit through. I danced through the many protruding branches, avoiding all the thorns. I didn't get scratched that badly but Jaypaw had a difficult time squeezing through those branches. Every time he stepped on a sharp stick he growled loudly. I could almost hear him cursing in his head. I resisted the urge to laugh at the blind cat and continued on.

At last we reached a small space that was large enough to hold both of us comfortably. I flopped down exhaustedly, shivering and frozen to the bone. Jaypaw fell down beside me, panting a little. We pressed up against each other and within minutes the small hollow between the bushes was blessedly warm.

I licked half-heartedly at the ice frozen to Jaypaw's fur, trying my best to pry it off. He did the same for me and for awhile that's all we did; silently cleaning the ice off of each other's fur. A cloud of heat buzzed through my head, making me feel dizzy and tired, but after only a couple of minutes, the headache disappeared and my strength returned.

_This must be his insta-heal powers, _I thought.

Finally we stopped. I rested my head on my paws and he leaned over and laid his chin atop my head. I purred quietly and our tails intertwined.

_Thank StarClan for snowstorms, _I thought gratefully.

The silence stretched out and I began to think about my posing question. _Our future. What kind of future do we have? He's a medicine cat; I'm a warrior and not even a full Clan cat for that matter. If I have kits…well, I can keep the father a secret but cats are smart, they might put two and two together. Jaypaw and I are together whenever we can be. You don't have to be in StarClan to figure that one out._

I pricked my ears a little. _Unless of course I spend more time with some of my male clanmates and, dare I say it, pretend to be courted by them. No cat will be able to determine whose kits they really are then. _

My heart warmed a little at the thought of kits but my rogue self snapped at me. I was torn in half about the kit issue. Having kits meant growing up and worst of all, it meant an attachment. Something to even further hold me back from ever leaving ThunderClan. I probably wouldn't ever leave but…you never know where the road will take you.

_When you're older then, _the sensible side of me said. _Wait until_ _after you've been a warrior for a few seasons and you know that no one will be able to guess the father. By then you'll be sure if you're staying, for the most part anyway. _

Jaypaw nosed my ear, "What are you thinking about?" he murmured.

I sighed, "Just the future in general. Trying to sort out my life ahead of time, that's all."

"Hm," he mused. We were quiet and then he said, "Sol doesn't strike me as the kind of cat to kill another cat in cold blood, for no real reason."

I stiffened slightly at the mention of Sol. "That's true," I agreed. "Maybe he had some other cat do it for him, like a right-hand cat or something."

"But which cat would be brainwashed enough to kill an innocent apprentice?" Jaypaw asked.

I shrugged, "I don't know. It could be any cat he favors. ShadowClan practically worships that piece of foxdung. I wouldn't be too surprised that they would kill if he asked them too."

Jaypaw nodded, "I guess so."

The silence returned as did my dark thoughts.

"How do you think I'm supposed to help ThunderClan?" I meowed randomly, speaking my thoughts.

Jaypaw raised his head. "By being the best warrior you can?" he suggested, not understanding the question.

I purred in amusement and batted at him with one paw. "No silly, the 'aid' prophecy thing you told Firestar about. What am I supposed to do with that?"

Jaypaw stiffened slightly. "I don't know," he said slowly. "I'm sure it will be clear to you when it comes time for fulfilling it."

"Maybe I'm supposed to kill Sol," I mused out loud. I have a habit of speaking the first thought that comes to mind.

Jaypaw's eyes got wide, "Don't you even _start _getting crazy ideas into your head," he snapped.

"It's not a crazy idea. It's actually kind of logical if you ask me." I'm also into being stubborn.

Jaypaw rolled his eyes, "You're talking about killing a very powerful cat."

"I'm talking about killing a very _convincing _cat," I corrected. "Maybe its best if some cat goes ahead with an assassination plan."

Jaypaw's whiskers twitched and for a long moment he was silent. "I just don't want you doing something stupid." He mewed finally. "I'm not going to lose you because some small prophecy said you were going to help the clan. It probably just means that you'll strengthen ThunderClan or something."

I blinked at the dark grey medicine cat. He looked dead serious. _I can't promise that I won't make a split second decision, but I won't make any pre-meditated ones without telling him. _

"Okay," I murmured, pushing my nose into his dark shoulder. "I won't do anything rash."

Jaypaw breathed a sigh of relief, "That's good."

We settled down side by side and fell asleep, for the very first time, right next to each other. I felt happier than I had felt in weeks and I was pretty sure he did too.

_**-The next morning-**_

The rescue mission hunting for the two apprentices started later in the morning than Brambleclaw would have liked. The deputy, Cloudtail, Berrynose, and Leafpool were all trotting through the snow-covered woods calling out for the two lost cats. Their search went fruitless for some time until Cloudtail found a tuft of sandy-colored fur caught on a bush.

"Racepaw! Jaypaw!" Brambleclaw called out loudly. His yowl rang through the trees for a second and then there was the sound of cracking twigs, slight curses, and rustling bushes that led the rescue patrol to the thick knot of bramble bushes Jaypaw and Racepaw had spent the night in.

"There you are!" Brambleclaw purred in relief.

"Thank StarClan you're okay!" Berrynose was practically jumping with joy and he barely held back his desire to touch noses with Racepaw.

Leafpool pushed in front of the celebrating warriors, checking over Jaypaw and Racepaw for sickness.

"You both will be lucky to only be afflicted with a cold," Leafpool muttered. Inside she was deeply thanking StarClan for keeping the two cats alive. That snowstorm had almost completely snowed in the warriors den. These two were lucky they hadn't been buried alive.

Leafpool poked and prodded at the two cats and, to her utter dismay, found absolutely nothing wrong with them. She looked up at the two young cats, completely in shock. They had spent all night in a bramble bush while a terrible blizzard went on. They _had_ to get sick. Perfectly healthy warriors were sneezing all over the place because of that monster storm!

"Is everything okay?" Brambleclaw asked hesitantly.

Leafpool stared at him. "They're perfectly healthy," she said flatly.

The deputy looked relieved, "Well that's a miracle."

"Yes," Leafpool agreed, returning her stare to the two supposed-to-be-sick cats. "A very large miracle."

"Come on," Brambleclaw said briskly. "Let's get back to camp; everyone will be glad to know you're alive."

They proceeded through the woods. Berrynose somehow managed to wedge himself between Racepaw and Jaypaw which ticked the medicine cat apprentice off immensely. Jaypaw ended up padding next to his mentor who continued to give him strange looks all the way back to camp.

Leafpool's mind was a whirl of confusion. _StarClan warned me they would be stuck out in the storm, so how did they get out without a single scratch? Why warn me if they were going to be fine?_

She shook her head, closing her eyes breifly. _No, StarClan wouldn't—_

"Leafpool watch—"It was too late. Cloudtail's warning did not heed the medicine cat from careening into a bush. Leafpool yelped as several sharp thorns speared her skin and dragged across her flesh, leaving painful scratches in their wake.

She pushed her way out of the bush, growling and licking at her wounds. Brambleclaw rushed to her side to make sure she was okay.

"I'm fine, I'm fine," Leafpool said dismissively. "It's just a few scratches; I'll take care of it when we get back to camp." Honestly, the few scratches hurt terribly but Leafpool tried not to show it on the short march to camp.

They reached the hollow and the two apprentices were welcomed back gladly. Jaypaw was especially bombarded by his brother and sister, but after a short while he managed to pull away from the crowd and slip into the medicine cat den while Racepaw told the story of the blizzard to several other cats.

Jaypaw padded softly next to his mentor who was busy rubbing yarrow on her scrapes. "Let me help," Jaypaw said. Leafpool nodded and let him finish applying the stinging juice.

"I'm glad you're okay, Jaypaw," Leafpool told her apprentice. Jaypaw nodded but kept silent whilst doing his work.

Just then Firestar padded into the den with Racepaw and Graystripe in tow. "Are you okay, Leafpool?" Firestar asked his daughter.

"I'm quite alright, Firestar. It's just a few small scratches." Leafpool resisted the urge to hiss out loud when a particularly tangy drop of yarrow sunk into one of the deep cuts.

Firestar nodded, "That's good. I'm here because I want to tell you something regarding Racepaw and Jaypaw."

Racepaw froze from where she was sitting a few steps from Jaypaw. The medicine cat apprentice also stopped and looked up in curiously.

Firestar's eyes glittered mysteriously, "I want to make Racepaw a warrior."

Racepaw stiffened and her eyes began to shine with shock and excitement.

"But first," Firestar mewed. "I want both her and Jaypaw to go on a mission for me. After this mission I will make her a warrior, regardless of how it blows over."

Racepaw and Jaypaw both stood straighter. "What is the mission?" Racepaw mewed hurriedly, fidgeting with excitement.

Firestar looked at them both, amusement dancing in his eyes. "I won't say right now because I'm still considering the details, but I want to know if Leafpool thinks if you two are up to trekking about the forest in this weather."

Leafpool licked her paw and glanced at the two trembling cats, "They seem to have StarClan on their side recently. They'll both be up to anything after a good nights rest."

Firestar's whiskers twitched, "They don't even have colds?" he mewed.

Leafpool shook her head, "They're both perfectly healthy cats."

"StarClan is favoring you then," Graystripe meowed decidedly.

Jaypaw and Racepaw exchanged a secretive glance. They both knew that it was because of Jaypaw's magical healing powers that neither of them was sick.

"Good, you'll need them on your side for your mission." Without further explanation Firestar padded out of the den with Graystripe at his paws. Racepaw followed them, flicking Jaypaw with her tail in farewell as she passed.

What Racepaw didn't hear as she padded out of the den and directed herself towards Mousewhisker and Berrynose was Leafpool's gasp as her pain suddenly went away and her skin stitched itself together.

Jaypaw's insta-heal powers had made themselves clear.

**A/N- First off, I love all of my reviewers to the end of the world! May Emerald, I put in the kit consideration just for you because you seem to have taken a big liking to that idea. Also** **I stole one reviewer's term of 'insta-heal' powers. That seemed to be a good way to call them so that is how they shall formally be known. **

**Anyway, her warrior ceremony is coming up soon! As is the end of this story, actually. Which brings me to my most important point because it will decide the way this story ends. Do you want a sequel? If you do then the story will end on a cliffhanger and I'll have to make some evil plots to inlay in the final chapters. If you don't then you will get a satisfactory ending, I promise. **

**Just give me your thoughts because I'm torn. I'm going to start a new fanfiction story after this for Twilight, (no, I am not a fanatic of Twilight but I like the way my story screws with the characters that's why I'm writing it). If you wish for a sequel it might be harder for me to update two stories at once but, for you guys, I would do it. **

**Please share your thoughts and comments on the chapter in a review! :D **


	13. Chapter 13

The Leaves Begin to Fall

At the sound of his mentor's gasp it didn't take Jaypaw much guess work to figure out that his insta-heal powers had come back. His tail twitched, to him the healing power felt like a lightning bolt running through his body. Or perhaps that was just the affect Racepaw had on him whenever she brushed against his pelt.

Whatever it was, that feeling of electricity stayed with him as Jaypaw sensed his mentor turning around to look him in the eyes. Leafpool took a deep breath and Jaypaw could feel her soothe over her rushing emotions as she spoke to him.

"Jaypaw, what was that?"

Jaypaw twitched his ear. "A…miracle wrought by StarClan and passed through my paws?"

Leafpool snorted, "Answer me straight, Jaypaw."

The tomcat sighed; he had enough to deal with without Leafpool questioning his inexplicable healing capabilities. "I seem to be able to heal cats with a single touch," he told his mentor. "It has happened before, with Racepaw, and now you."

"Racepaw?" Jaypaw envisioned Leafpool's eyes widening with surprise, "She knows about this?"

Jaypaw resisted the urge to growl, _why does she always ask me stupid questions? _"She was the first cat this ever happened to, you are the second."

Jaypaw's pelt prickled uneasily at that, _why hadn't this happened to any other cat before? Does it only work when Racepaw touches me? _He remembered the slight brush of Racepaw's tail sliding against his dark fur a minute before and shivered. That was the only logical reason why it hadn't happened before.

"Do Lionblaze and Hollyleaf know about this?" Leafpool's voice was barely concealing her nervousness at the situation. Jaypaw nodded to answer her question.

Jaypaw felt Leafpool's panic begin to rise but strangely, he didn't care very much that Leafpool knew about his powers. It was only a matter of time before she found out anyway. _If Racepaw touches Lionblaze or Hollyleaf, would their powers start up too? _Then again, Jaypaw already suspected Lionblaze's power of invincibility in battle. _But what about Hollyleaf? What are her powers?_

Jaypaw shook his head to rid it of these thorn-like thoughts. _Who cares? We'll figure it out soon enough. Just take it all one at a time Jaypaw. First: getting Leafpool to make a sensible decision. _

"Jaypaw! Jaypaw are you listening to me?" Jaypaw snapped his head up, directing his attention to his mentor. "Listen closely to me Jaypaw," Leafpool said carefully. "I'm not going to tell Firestar about this now but…when I have joined the ranks of StarClan it would be in your best interest to tell him about your…powers."

Jaypaw froze, "Who said anything about you joining the ranks of StarClan anytime soon?" he growled uneasily.

Leafpool's quiet sigh made Jaypaw even more uneasy, "I'm not saying it will be anytime soon," Leafpool said soothingly. "But I won't be here forever Jaypaw, and you know that. For now, this would only add more to Firestar's worries. But a battle may come soon, and who knows what kinds of things will happen in the future."

_Was she given the same prophecy as me? Is that why she's talking about this? Does she think that __**she's **__the cat in the prophecy that has to give her life? OR did StarClan warn her that her life was in danger? Why isn't she __**telling **__me anything?_

Jaypaw's rushing calamity of emotions slowed as Leafpool pressed her body against his, stifling the shivers he hadn't realized were there. Jaypaw closed his eyes and tried not to think of the death of his beloved mentor.

"Don't worry about me, Jaypaw," Leafpool murmured into his ear. "I know you will be one of the best medicine cats the Clans have ever seen. With or without me, you will do great things."

Jaypaw suppressed his mixed feelings at her words and growled roughly, "Well, you won't be dying anytime soon so stop talking about it."

Leafpool _mrrowed _with laughter and pulled away. "All right, I'll let you be. For now, you should get something to eat. You've been out in the snow all night long. And get rest too, Firestar will send you on your mission soon."

Jaypaw nodded to her and left the den, following the scent of fresh kill over to the pile and choosing the first piece his nose touched. He could hear Foxpaw and Icepaw playing over by the apprentice's den and Firestar and Sandstorm sharing tongues under the Highledge. Jaypaw pricked his ears as he heard something familiar, a she-cat's voice he recognized over on the other side of the clearing.

Taking his mouse with him, Jaypaw padded over a few tail-lengths from the medicine cat den and listened to Racepaw talking to Mousewhisker.

"Oh yeah, I heard about that. I thought that Cinderheart was the one that thought Ashfur's tail was a snake, not Poppyfrost."

"No, no," Mousewhisker mewed nervously. "That wasn't it at all. You see, Poppyfrost and Cinderheart were on hunting patrol with Ashfur and they split up so that they could catch prey easier. Then Cinderheart heard some rustling and Poppyfrost went up to investigate. She saw something long moving in the bushes and jumped on it and it turned out to be Ashfur."

Racepaw _mrrowed _with laughter. "Poor Ashfur. I'll bet he let her have it!"

"Oh definitely, he whipped around and bit her-"

"Hello brother," Hollyleaf mewed cheerfully, sitting next to Jaypaw. "You didn't come and talk to us after you came back."

"Yeah Jaypaw," Lionblaze agreed. "Where did you disappear to?"

"I had to go put some yarrow on Leafpool's scratches," Jaypaw told them absent mindedly. He strained to hear Racepaw and Mousewhisker's conversation. Jaypaw heard Berrynose join the conversation and just as he began to pick up what the three cats were saying Hollyleaf began talking.

"So, you got out of the blizzard without a scratch, huh?" Hollyleaf continued.

"Didn't cough once on the way back to camp, that's what Brambleclaw said." Lionblaze said informatively.

Jaypaw drew his attention to his siblings, trying to make sense of their emotions. Hollyleaf was tinged with anticipation and vague relief while Lionblaze seemed just curious.

"No, I suppose I didn't." Jaypaw agreed slowly, taking a bit of his mouse.

"Why do you think that is?" Hollyleaf asked lightly. Jaypaw began to feel uneasy due to her tone.

"Because of my…insta-heal powers?" He supplied through a mouthful of food.

"Yes, speaking of those," Lionblaze lowered his voice so that no other cat could hear them. "Why do they only seem to work when Racepaw's around?"

Jaypaw paused and flicked the tip of his tail. _So they've noticed too._

"I'm not sure why. Any theories?" He questioned them.

"It just doesn't work without her. Why is that?" Hollyleaf was hissing now.

"Why are you getting so worked up about it?" Jaypaw returned.

Hollyleaf let out a ragged sigh, "Because Jaypaw, she knows about this and…well, she's actually a very strategic cat. I'm afraid that she'll notice your powers only work when she's around and then she'll-"

"Wait, wait," Jaypaw cut off his sister. "What do you mean 'a strategic cat'?"

Jaypaw felt Lionblaze grow uneasy also, "Graystripe was in the training hollow going over battle scenarios with Racepaw. I was there too because Graystripe wanted me to help her work on some fighting moves. Anyway, he kept on giving her scenarios and she kept on giving these…smart answers."

Jaypaw almost laughed, "That's why you think she's strategic? Because she's smart?"

"No, Jaypaw," Lionblaze said. "It wasn't just _smart _answers; it was answers no one would really think of. They were smart because her strategy got things done quickly and efficiently, but she's smart and logical in a way that's almost…threatening."

Jaypaw felt his anger being to rise up. "You think that's she's a threat to us because she knows that I can heal cats just by touching them?"

"Well, uhm, it's not just that Jaypaw." Hollyleaf said hesitantly, "She's, well, she's a rogue, essentially. She's a smart, logical, rogue, and maybe a bit merciless too. I don't think she's actually a threat to the clan but…she might be to us. If she learns about the prophecy then she might use that against us…somehow."

Jaypaw mulled over this for a few minutes. Finally he took a deep breath and mewed quietly, "So what you're saying is that Racepaw would blackmail us to do her bidding? Then what? Take over ThunderClan by using us?"

"It's possible Jaypaw," Lionblaze mewed.

"It's crazy is what it is," Jaypaw snapped.

"Jaypaw-" Hollyleaf cried in distress. "Don't get mad-"

"It's too late for that," the medicine cat apprentice snarled. "Look, I know Racepaw and she's _nothing like that. _She could care less about my powers and she certainly wouldn't care about any stupid prophecy. She has battle smarts but that doesn't make her a threat to anyone except ThunderClan's enemy. She's as loyal to ThunderClan as any one of us. You two are both _totally _mousebrained!"

Jaypaw whipped around and headed back into his den, settling down in his nest and curling his tail around his nose. Although he was far from sleepy, Jaypaw tried to fall into sleep's black depths but his mind kept him awake.

_I can see where they're coming from, but really? Racepaw? Sure she's probably smart and scarily efficient in her battle strategies but she __**was **__a rogue. It just comes from the fact that she had to fight almost every day for her life. I __**know **__that she's not a threat to us. Lionblaze and Hollyleaf are just paranoid. _

Despite his reassuring thoughts, it was a very long time before he fell asleep.

The days passed and Jaypaw and Racepaw didn't speak very much to each other. Jaypaw completely ignored his brother and sister despite their many tries for his forgiveness. Jaypaw wanted to stretch out the silence until after his secret mission with Racepaw. He was sure that after that he could easily convince them of the ridiculousness of their theory.

Racepaw, on the other hand, was busying herself with socializing with every cat in the Clan. She had abruptly changed her strategy when it came to mingling with her fellow clanmates. Instead of keeping to herself and only sparing few words for the other apprentices and warriors, she had suddenly become the life of the Clan. Funny, charming, random, and strangely appealing to every member of the Clan, every cat was her best friend by the end of three days.

Racepaw especially went out of her way to be sweet to all of the male cats who weren't already taken by a she-cat. Berrynose was even more head-over-paws for her in an hour than he had been the whole time she was in the clan. Mousewhisker was nervous around all the she-cats but he, too, gave Racepaw rosy eyes whenever she walked by.

This easy flirtation with all the male cats strangely did not create any sort of jealousy within the other she-cats. In fact, Hazeltail and Icepaw really took to Racepaw and the three of them were very pleasant with each other.

Racepaw enjoyed socializing with her clanmates more than she thought she would. Patrols were more fun now that she had cats to really talk to. In fact, she was so caught up with her new friends that when Graystripe called her over to him when she got back from Sunhigh patrol, she didn't have any fathom why.

"Racepaw," Graystripe greeted. "Firestar wants you and Jaypaw in his den immediately."

Racepaw froze; her heart leaping with excitement and sickening anticipation.

It was time for their secret mission.

**A/N- Okay, KIND OF a lame chapter. I wanted to throw in some sibling drama there. See, I would have just gone straight into Firestar briefing them about their mission but seeing as I'm making a SEQUEL now I had to add in some extra stuff. **

**Review please. :P**


	14. Chapter 14

And Away We Go!

My head began to fill with ear-drumming pressure, caused by my very sudden burst of excitement, anticipation, and over all heart-lurching eagerness. I practically floated up the steps to Firestar's den and by the time I was seated a tail-length away from Jaypaw in the stone den, I could no longer feel any of my limbs.

The clan leader had been pacing around his private cave. I could tell by the scrape of his claws that they were unsheathed and Firestar's leaf green eyes were burning with uncertainty. I bowed my head in respect to the Clan leader and gave myself an inward pep talk.

_All right Racepaw, don't mess this up. If he sees that you're more jumpy than a rabbit being hunted down by a pack of wolves then he will __**not**__ give you this mission. Cool off girl! Your warrior ceremony depends on this! _

It hadn't been until this very moment that I had fully realized that I really, _really _wanted to be a full warrior of ThunderClan. Images of having an apprentice, being made head of patrols, and most of all having some respect amongst my Clanmates thrilled me.

"Racepaw, Jaypaw," Firestar's deep grumble lurched me out of my thoughts. "I have a mission for you, as you already know."

I locked my amber eyes onto Firestar's face. I am not a serious cat but at this very moment my gaze felt deadly calm. I was _so _ready to do this.

Firestar took a deep breath, "I want the two of you to sneak across ShadowClan's border and spy on their camp. I want you to try to find out what Sol is planning to do with ShadowClan. He must have some kind of goal other than just breaking up the Clan."

I barely held back a gasp. _A spying mission? Great giant rabid squirrels! We're going to spy on another clan!_

I felt like leaping up and tackling Firestar to the ground in a fit of joy. _Calm down you freak! _The sensible part of my mind yowled. _He's looking right at you!_

Indeed, ThunderClan's great leader was watching me, his eyes soft with amusement at the joy in my eyes. This was by _far_ the best day of my career as a ThunderClan apprentice.

"Firestar," Jaypaw mewed slowly. I felt a flash of envy at the calmness of his voice, _is he even the least bit excited about this? _"Why do you want _me _to go? I mean, I'm not exactly the most…_observant_ cat around."

Firestar purred, "On the contrary, Jaypaw, you are a very observant cat. I am relying on your excellent sense of hearing to help you slip through ShadowClan's territory completely unnoticed. Also, if you two are caught," Firestar's gaze grew sour at his own words. "Then you will both have to pose as a peaceful negotiation patrol between ThunderClan and Sol."

_That makes sense, _I reasoned. _What cat in their right mind would think that an apprentice and a medicine cat would want to attack an entire clan? _Then I thought of Firestar's comment about Jaypaw's keen senses and almost burst into a loud purr of laughter. _Firestar thinks that a blind cat's senses are better than mine! It's probably true, actually. _

My whiskers twitched at the thought. Jaypaw spoke up again, "Firestar, what happens if we _do _get caught? ShadowClan isn't the organized group of cats it used to be. If they catch us and don't believe our 'negotiations' bid then they'll probably hold us hostage. It could start a battle between ThunderClan and ShadowClan."

Firestar's gaze grew serious, "If you two aren't back by sunhigh tomorrow then we will send out a rescue patrol to take you back. But be sure to do you best not to get caught. If you are then we will try to use it to our advantage. I would like you to attempt to arrange a meeting between myself and Blackstar by the three-quarter moon."

My whisker's twitched _a meeting? That would be interesting. _

"Don't worry Firestar," I assured him. "ShadowClan won't get a single whiff of us on their territory."

Firestar sniffed, "I'm counting on it. I am not exactly looking forward to talking with Blackstar."

Each of us fell silent. Graystripe was staring at me from behind Firestar. I flicked my ears at him, meeting my mentor's gaze. My excitement had faded by now and was being replaced my brooding.

_Why __**is **__Firestar sending us on this mission? He says he wants to know what Sol is planning but…what happens if those plans aren't good. _I thought of the dead RiverClan apprentice and resisted a shudder. _Does he just want a reason to…?_

"Firestar," I said slowly.

"Yes Racepaw?" Firestar answered.

"Are you planning to attack ShadowClan?"

Jaypaw, Graystripe, and Firestar all stopped breathing and for one terrible second the den grew cold. I shrank back from my leader as his eyes burned with intensity. Firestar didn't look angry, but he didn't look very pleased either.

"Why on earth would you think that, Racepaw?" Firestar questioned; his voice terribly calm.

"Well, because Firestar." I began nervously, "You're asking me and Jaypaw to go and spy on another Clan and that's just not something that you would normally do, I don't think. Why would you send us on this mission if you didn't think that…that you needed to have a kind of one-up on Sol?" My heart was fluttering. Y_ou idiot! Why did you have to ask him that? He's a leader, he can send us on a mission to look for green squirrels without telling us the real reason why if he wants to._

Firestar looked at me for a moment, his face unreadable. He blew out a long sigh and said, "You are correct Racepaw, I would not normally do this. But…Brambleclaw reported finding blood on ShadowClan's side of the border the day before the snowstorm. He said that it smelled like cat blood. I am afraid that Sol is taking the lives of innocent cats. I need to know what he is doing over there."

My heart leaped, thinking of the limp body of Sneezepaw. Jaypaw also stiffened with surprise at Firestar's knowledge. Graystripe's face grew even grimmer at the mention of the blood.

Firestar scraped his claws against the stone of the den to recapture our attention. "That is why I want you to use every skill you have to not be caught by a ShadowClan cat. I am confident that the both of you can manage to go by undetected."

Both Jaypaw and I nodded to Firestar. I glanced over at Jaypaw and saw the readiness on his face, which made me even more confident. We would find out Sol's deadly secret without him even knowing, I was absolutely positive of it. I could feel it in my bones.

"Firestar," Graystripe mewed, dragging me out of my thoughts. "May I escort them to the border?"

Firestar motioned to Jaypaw and I, "That's up to them." 

I met my mentor's eyes, "That would be great Graystripe." Jaypaw purred his consent.

Firestar's eyes lightened, "Then you three better be off."

We all nodded in farewell to our Clan leader. I led the way down the Cliffside but the let Graystripe take the lead as we got out to the forest. None of us spoke; we were all caught up in our own deep thoughts.

_Okay, we'll have to roll in something before we cross the border. Toadstools, maybe. Certainly nothing too strong like foxdung or else there'll be a patrol out to chase a fox off their territory. It's too bad there isn't a ShadowClan cat bush somewhere, than we could blend right in. We could probably stroll through their own camp without them noticing. Or of course, we could just go over and say we didn't want to be apart of ThunderClan any longer. I'm sure they would believe us._

"You two should eat before you cross over," Graystripe suggested. We were close enough to the border to hear the stream running. I peered through the darkening trunks, getting a glance of the pine trees that marked the rival Clan's territory.

Graystripe's advice awakened my stomach because at that very moment my stomach growled. Loudly. Embarrassed, I slid through the bramble bushes until I caught the scent of a mouse. I stalked it, snapped its neck and carried it back to Graystripe and Jaypaw. Jaypaw was already feasting on a scrawny looking blackbird that Graystripe must have caught for him.

I settled down a tail-length away from Jaypaw and started on the rodent. My mouse was stringy and barely filled my stomach but it took away the pains of hunger and drove away some of my nervousness. After the remains had been buried and our hunger satisfied, I turned to my mentor for a final piece of advice.

"Before the two of you go." Graystripe curled his tail around his paws. "There's something I need to tell you. I would have done it sooner but I never got the chance. I know that right now is not convenient for either of you, but I feel as if I have to get this off my chest. Besides, I don't know when the three of us will be alone again without any other cat having a chance to overhear us."

I tipped my head to the side, staring at my nervous mentor. I could sense Jaypaw was just as confused as me. _This doesn't sound like wise advice for our mission._

Graystripe looked up, matching both of our gazes evenly.

"I know your secret."

**A/N- I seriously wanted to make this chapter longer but as it turns out, it didn't take much for Firestar to explain the mission. Plus, the next chapter is going to be long. (Graystripe has to explain exactly what he knows and we need to discover Sol's top-secret plan. Oooo) Also, the ending of this book is, ah; let me see….five chapters away. Plus an epilogue. And take my word; these next five chapters are going to be LONG. I might actually post the next chapter tomorrow or the day after, it depends on how fast I write. **

**And anyway, I want to make a special note to my reviewers because, well, some of you are kind of grinding my gears. When I say "some" I mean like, the two or three that make comments on my story as if I am a clueless writer. Listen to me people, I have read Warriors since the forth book of the very first series came out. I have the first series almost memorized and the second half way there. **

**I know most of you are like me; you buy the book, read it twice, then go back and read all of the books again. I own every single book **_**ever**_** written for Warriors except for some of the manga. I do believe that I know my stuff. **

**Therefore, I **_**know **_**what is **_**actually **_**going on in the series. I **_**know **_**the real plotlines and I am **_**totally**_** aware of what I have changed. Please do **_**not **_**review just to point out what I already know. It saves me the trouble of getting all excited about a review and then getting put-down because that specific reviewer thinks that I have no idea what I am talking about. **

**This story isn't perfect and I do appreciate constructive criticism, (by which I mean corrections to the names of cats or clans or informative tips on my writing, not pointing out the obvious) so I do not want you to tell me things I already know. I love you all to death but please, do not waste your time (and my excitement) by telling me the things I **_**know**_** are **_**actually**_** happening in the books. **

**And also, there will be a sequel. I'll give you a little hint: it's not from Racepaw's point of view. I'm not coughing up the title; you'll just have to be patient. :) **

**Review please, the next chapter will be up, well, I might post it with this one. Hm… **


	15. Chapter 15

It's Too Bad StarClan Isn't On Our Side

My heart stopped. I died on my paws right then and there. Graystripe looked absolutely serious as my mind leaped to my forbidden love with the medicine cat. _He knows! _My stomach was churning at the thought of what would happen next. Surely he was going to tell Firestar?

_He knows, he knows, he knows!_

Jaypaw's tail flicked my shoulder and I realized that my fur was sticking up. I tried to calm myself down, _maybe it's not what you think._

"What…exactly are you talking about, Graystripe?" Jaypaw's voice was calm but his body was trembling.

Graystripe blinked at the two of us, "I know that you two are in love." The way he said it made it seem so gosh darned _simple! _But it had an underlying note of grimness in it that made my heart cry out and my claws sink into the frozen earth

My next breath came in ragged. I think Jaypaw had stopped breathing altogether.

"Don't go opossum on me now!" Graystripe mewed. He looked, dare I say it? _Amused! _

Jaypaw obviously wasn't amused. He let out a fierce growl and lashed his tail, "You just told us that you know our secret! It happens to be the very secret that will get the both of us banished from the clan! You're Firestar's best friend, how can we expect you _not _to tell him?"

My eyes stretched wide, "We can get _banished _for this?" My voice was loud, and I forced myself to lower it.

"Well _yeah _Racepaw," Jaypaw said scathingly. "Did you think Firestar would just have us clean the Elder's den for a moon if he found out? It's _forbidden._"

"Well I certainly didn't think the punishment would be quite, so, severe!" Jaypaw gave me a look. "Well!" I exclaimed hotly, "It's a stupid rule anyway! What's wrong with us being in love?"

"Racepaw, Jaypaw!" Graystripe's commanding growl shut the two of us up. "Calm down. I'm not going to _tell_ anybody. That would be horribly ironic if I did. Also…I'd never be able to forgive myself." Graystripe's golden eyes clouded with sad memories. All of a sudden the forest grew very still.

Jaypaw and I stared at the older warrior. "You-you won't tell anyone?" I mewed quietly, feeling subdued.

Graystripe shook his head, meeting my eyes.

"Oh right," Jaypaw gasped. "You were in love with a RiverClan cat. Back in the old forest." Graystripe sighed sadly her name but he opened his mouth to explain the story to me anyway. I flicked Jaypaw with the tip of my tail, giving him a-_you-are-__**so-**__insensitive! _look.

Graystripe's began to speak, "That's right. Back in the old forest I loved a RiverClan cat, her name was Silverstream. I knew that it was forbidden because we came form separate Clans, but it didn't _feel _wrong. We had two kits, Stormfur and Feathertail. Silverstream…died while having our kits. Stormfur now lives in the mountains and Feathertail walks with StarClan."

I blinked at my mentor, feeling his sorrow as if it were my own. I understood his pact of secrecy now, at least.

"So for me to tell Firestar about something so simple as love," Graystripe looked between us. "But as complicated as your…situation, would be disloyal on my part to myself and to Silverstream." Graystripe's face was set, I could feel a steadfast stream of loyalty to both myself and my love Jaypaw coming from him. I stepped forward and pressed my muzzle against his shoulder.

"Thank you Graystripe," I purred.

My beloved mentor licked my ear encouragingly, "I know it's against the warrior code, but sometimes you just _have _to do what is right."

My fur prickled uneasily at his words, they sounded more like advice for the future rather than what we were discussing right now.

"Yes, thank you Graystripe." Jaypaw licked his chest fur briskly and muttered, "You don't know how much this means to me. To us."

Graystripe's eyes softened with old wisdom, "Yes Jaypaw, I think that I do." Jaypaw stared at the senior warrior and then nodded his head.

"We should probably get on with our mission, or else every cat will be asleep by the time we get to ShadowClan's camp." Jaypaw was right, we had to get moving.

"All right," Graystripe mewed. He flicked his tail in farewell to us, "Don't get caught."

"Not planning on it," I mewed to him. I turned away from my mentor and led Jaypaw through the brambles. I heard Graystripe slip back towards camp. I tried to push Graystripe's knowledge out of my mind. _You have a mission to perform Racepaw! Stay focused. _

I placed my tail on Jaypaw's shoulder and we both crouched behind a bush. "Can you sense any cat near by?" I hissed to him.

Jaypaw sniffed the air and then mewed, "No one."

"Let's go then." Just as I was about to dark across the stream and into ShadowClan's territory Jaypaw raised one paw to stop me.

"Wait; there are some toadstools over here. Let's roll in those to mask our scent." I wrinkled my nose at the thought of smelling like a plant but went with it. It was better than getting detected by Shadowclan warriors and ruining the mission. I followed Jaypaw over to the patch and flopped down in it, rolling in the stuff to get the scent of ThunderClan fully masked.

_Great StarClan, why? I am a cat, not a piece of fungus!_

"Okay," Jaypaw mewed, sniffing me lightly. "That should do it. Now no cat will think we're from ThunderClan unless they see us."

"Yeah," I growled, "they'll just think we're traveling fungus on our way to infest a new area of the forest."

Jaypaw's whisker's twitched but he didn't say anything to that.

"Come on, now let's cross." After a quick check of the border we both raced over the narrow stream and into the dark, looming trees in ShadowClan's territory. I sniffed the air for any fresh cat scent and was relieved to smell nothing fresh.

_What could be worse than a fresh ShadowClan cat?_

I stifled a purr of amusement and nudged Jaypaw to follow me through the trees. The pine needles pricked between my paws but they quieted our pawsteps. After a few hushed minutes of leading the way through the rival territory I realized I had no idea where I was going.

I moved back a little, letting Jaypaw to take the lead. The gray cat stopped, sniffed the air, and then moved off in another direction, heading up the slope.

As we approached the camp, ShadowClan scent grew even stronger. I opened my mouth, letting the scent wash over the glands in my mouth. _Is that some RiverClan I smell? And…WindClan? _Why would loyal Clan cats want to become apart of this rouge-ish Clan?

_Because they're infiltrating, _my mind whispered quietly. I started with the thought; that made total sense! I opened my mouth to tell Jaypaw my thought but he flicked his ears and took off silently through the trees. I leaped after him, clueless as to why we were running.

We stopped, panting, on the other side of the rim of brambles hiding the Clan camp. Jaypaw nosed his way around the thorns until he found a thin gap. He motioned me to his side. I peered through the small gap and whapped my tail over my mouth to stop the sound of my gasp.

Sol was standing atop a long branch with Blackstar at his side. There seemed to be some kind of Clan meeting going on.

"They want nothing more than to crush your freedom as wild cats," Sol was saying. "Those other Clans are still soft-minded, they follow dead cats that have no power rather than use their own minds. But you are stronger and smarter than them, you know that it is the living that posses all the power in the forest."

A few cats yowled their agreement; this seemed to strengthen Sol's confidence.

"This territory is too small for this powerful group of cats. But look around you, on each side of you is a lush expanse of forest just full of prey waiting to be caught by your sharp claws. The only thing stopping you from sinking your teeth into those fat mice is cats selfish enough to deny a starving Clan their own plentiful prey!"

"Sol's right! We should teach the other Clans a lesson they won't soon forget! This territory is large enough so that all cats can have their share!" The yowl came from a bristly looking warrior towards the center of the crowd.

"This territory should be run by cats who take their advice from living, sensible warriors, not from the lies of the dead!" Another cat agreed.

Several other cats joined their voices to the rising crowd. I tried to stifle my fear; _these crazy cats want to take over the lake!_

Sol raised his tail for silence. "Is this what you really want," Sol mewed solemnly. "To command the territory of the lake as your own? To defeat all other Clans for the sake of the hungry cats surrounding you?"

The yowl of support was deafening. Blackstar stood up from his spot on the tree. The former leader looked haggard. _I wonder if he regrets leading his Clan to this. _

"Many lives may be lost in the battle you are proposing. I beg you to think, is a full our war for a couple of mice really worth the lives of innocent and valuable cats?" Blackstar's resounding mew sounded like the only voice of reason in the entire territory.

"It's for a good cause, Blackstar!" the same warrior who had spoken before called out. "We will all survive the oncoming leafbare if we control the lakeside!"

"Don't tell us you're going soft-hearted like ThunderClan, Blackstar!" Several other jeering voices caterwauled against their leader.

Blackstar's gaze swept over the group of cats and then he bowed his head and sat down. _Doesn't he know the bloodshed he's going to allow?_

"Then we will start the attack in three night falls. That should be plenty of time to prepare." Sol's voice was drowned out by the yowls rising from the crowd.

"Who will we attack first?"

"I say RiverClan! Those soft-bellied warriors are too fat on fish to lift a paw against us!"

"No! ThunderClan poses the greater threat; we should get rid of them first!"

"But what about—"

"Silence!" Sol's thunderous yowl quieted all of the cats in the clearing. "We will take down Thunderclan first, for they are the most firmly rooted Clan when it comes to their belief in warrior ancestors. We must destroy them first in order to win this war."

Sol leaped down from his post, leaving the resigned leader up on the branch. The group of cats broke up, chattering loudly about the upcoming battle. One cat began to organize hunting patrols and fighting practice.

I felt rooted to the ground. _They're going to attack ThunderClan in three days! They're going to start a war!_

Jaypaw shoved me roughly, "Racepaw, we have to get back to camp and warn Firestar!"

I shook my head to clear it, adrenaline bursting in my veins. "How fast can you run?" I hissed to Jaypaw.

"Fast enough."

"Then let's go." We slinked quietly away from the camp until we were at a distance where no cat would hear our drumming pawsteps. Then we broke off into a run. I quickly realized that I was much faster than Jaypaw so I slowed my pawsteps to match his. My muscles protested against it. I hadn't actually sprinted in moons. This renewing of my ability made me want to stretch it to the extreme. But I couldn't leave my blind love behind.

We raced back to ThunderClan territory in record time. We skidded to a halt just inside the territory, panting and shaking with fear at the knowledge of this upcoming war.

We walked side by side back to camp because it was dark and the undergrowth was thick. Treacherous territory for a blind cat to be running in.

"Jaypaw," I murmured after awhile.

"Yes Racepaw?"

My claws slid out and stabbed the cold earth beneath them. "I think we're going to have to kill Sol."

Jaypaw froze, "_What?_"

"You heard me." I kept my voice calm, trying to let Jaypaw hear the rage behind it. "If we kill Sol then the mastermind is out of the way. You saw-well, no, you didn't, but you _heard_ Blackstar, he doesn't want this to happen. He doesn't want his warriors to die. If we can convince Firestar to send out a patrol to get rid of Sol, then-"

"Then our patrol will be killed because of it," Jaypaw mewed coldly. "We can't kill Sol; we just have to defeat ShadowClan and then drive him out. We have to show ShadowClan that he is the dark-hearted piece of foxdung we've been telling them he is."

I lashed my tail angrily, "It would be easier if we just killed him."

"Respectable warriors don't kill unless they have to."

I glared at Jaypaw, "He's turned ShadowClan into a disorganized group of bloodthirsty cats and now he's getting them to start a horrendous war that will cost many cats their lives. Is that not reason enough?"

Jaypaw stiffened, "Firestar will be the one to make the decision. It doesn't matter what either of us think."

I resisted the urge to bite off his ear. _Jaypaw's right, Firestar's the leader. He'll know what to do._

But a part of me was dark with the upmost certainty. _The only way to end this is to kill Sol. If Firestar doesn't see that, some cat will just have to do it themselves and make to look like they had to do it. They'll have to make it look like they had absolutely no choice but to kill that worthless, snake-tongued rogue. _

_Some cat better figure that out fast, or else I'll be the one ripping out his throat. _

Jaypaw pushed his way through the tunnel into camp. By then the moon was three quarters of the way through the night. All of the cats in ThunderClan were sleeping except for the cat guarding the tunnel. I took the lead up the rocky steps to Firestar's den, ignoring Whitewing's inquiry as to why we were just coming into camp.

"Firestar," I called out as I entered the den. Thunderclan's leader blinked up at us from his nest.

A yawn parted his jaws. "What is it Racepaw? What did you learn for your mission that couldn't wait until morning?"

Jaypaw stood next to me, his pelt brushing against mine. I tried to draw strength from him. My legs began to tremble, a mixture of fear and rage boiling under my pelt.

"ShadowClan is going to start a war."

**A/N-** **Five and a half pages long baby! Not my longest but whatever. I thought this chapter left you off on a sour note. What will Racepaw do? Trust me; it's probably not what you expect. Please review for me guys, ten more and we reach 100! (claps joyfully) You just have to suffer through three more chapters. And yes, Racepaw will get her warrior name before the end. In fact…it's coming up next! **


	16. Chapter 16

Midmorning Stupor

As soon as those words popped out of my mouth and Firestar, the great ThunderClan leader, stood up from his nest of holiness, all of my crazy emotions went away. It was incredibly calming to see my leader's jaw set, his face grim, and his eyes light up with the ferocity of a leader about to crush all of his enemies for the sake of his Clan. My fear, anger, and confusion all melted away. Firestar could have told me to fly and I would have gone and jumped off the top of the Cliffside just for him because in that very moment I realized how much more wise and organized this cat was compared to me.

Well, it was either that or I was going into shock because I had just fully processed that a war was about to start all because of a mangy, two-faced, lying, crazy, flea-ridden, (not to mention ugly) rogue who had absolutely _no_ business taking over ShadowClan.

Jaypaw went through everything that Sol had said, filling Firestar in on the details. Once he was done, Firestar sat for a moment, his thorn-sharp claws pricking the ground. With a wave of his tail he dismissed us to go get some sleep. I was far from tired, so I followed Jaypaw to his den and then sat down a few tail-lengths from it, washing the toadstool smell off my fur as best I could.

For the remainder of that morning I stood alongside the edge of the camp and watched Firestar wake up Brambleclaw and a few other senior warriors and drag their sleepy warrior butts up to his den. I washed my fur rhythmically, listening to the shocked mews coming from his den, following the hum of voices and falling half asleep.

Jaypaw slept, I think. I didn't want to sleep. It was like I was awake but not quite there in camp. I wasn't thinking, just staring straight ahead and observing the activities of the sleeping camp. Somewhere in my subconscious I had put myself on full-alert. I didn't even realize I was tense until I felt the dirt well up between my claws. But then my mind woke up for a brief second and yelled at me.

_Firestar's going to have the camp moving by dawn, get sleep now while you have the chance! Or would you rather miss out on the biggest battle in the Clans since they left the old forest all because you were too stupid to take a nap?_

I was in no position to argue with myself, so I curled up on the spot. Ignoring the stick of rocks and cold wind that brushed my pelt, I closed my eyes and prayed silently to StarClan.

_Please, send me guidance. I can feel it in my bones that something bad is going to happen. Protect ThunderClan or else I'm going to be fighting out there for __**your **__warrior code with no ancestors at my side. How is that fair?_

I fell asleep with that question ringing in my ears as if I had spoken it out loud.

I can't say I really had a _dream_ in that brief slumber I had before Graystripe prodded me awake a little after dawn the next morning. I was in StarClan's hunting grounds, I could tell. The sun was shining real hot on my fur, but everything was a swirling, as if I had twirled around too many times like a kit and when I stopped spinning the world continued to.

I could feel a warm body beside me, purring comfort. I was warm inside, but there was a deep, inner burning coming from the back of my stomach. I recognized it as desire. This particular desire was to sink my claws into enemies, to protect nameless cats from harm. The desire bubbled up, escaping through my jaws in a chilling battle cry. Shadowing the desire was the cold, icy feeling of control.

The cat beside me suddenly seemed to enlarge, the purring got stronger and it hovered all around me. I imagined I could hear a few yowls backing me up, urging me onward. All of a sudden I realized why the world was swirling, blurring in my eyesight.

It was because I was running. My paws were racing so fast I could not feel the heavy pound of grass beneath them. My eyes narrowed against the force of the air. My path was set unconsciously by other starry paws. I raced on, that feeling of StarClan warriors lingering wherever I happened to go. A wind picked, up blowing in the direction I was set for. A sudden prickle of competition stirred within me, _I was racing the wind! _A soft purr slipped between my jaws just before I set them, reaching out farther with my legs, leaping away from the wind.

I totally would have beaten it too, if I hadn't been prodded awake by a certain warrior I know.

"Racepaw."

I moaned, my paws twitching. "I'm busy racing the wind Graystripe, go away." I pressed my face into my forepaws, a clear sign for him to leave me away.

There was a moment of amused silence and then Graystripe's huge paw nudged my side again. "You have to get up now, sleepy head," he purred. "Make yourself shine Racepaw, because Firestar's about to make an important announcement."

I wrenched up, sand trickling out of my matted fur. "Is he going to make me a warrior?" I yelped, eyes wide.

Graystripe's whiskers twitched, "Not if you look like that he isn't. Come sit over here in the back so that you can make yourself look presentable while he tells the Clan about…what you and Jaypaw heard last night."

The fur on the back of my neck rose at the thought of Sol and his impending attack on ThunderClan, but my excitement for finally becoming a warrior was greater. Graystripe and I sat a little way away from the High Ledge while I groomed the dust out of my fur. Just as I was starting on my chest, Firestar called the clan together.

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey join here beneath the High Ledge for a Clan meeting."

As the warriors, queens, and apprentices dragged themselves out of their dens I glanced up at the sky, trying to decide how early it was. The sun wasn't quite at its first quarter yet, and I could tell by the presence of all of the warriors that Firestar had stalled the dawn patrol for leaving.

I licked my forepaw, smoothing out the fur there and turning my eyes up to look at Firestar. The dark ginger tomcat looked out at his Clan, as if planting each cat firmly in his mind. Then with a deep breath he brought down the heavy news.

"Yesterday, close to sundown, I sent out a very small patrol of cats to spy on ShadowClan." Firestar paused, but the Clan was hushed with anticipated silence. Everyone could tell by Firestar's serious voice that this news was not good.

"Racepaw and Jaypaw successfully snuck into Shadowclan territory and overheard Sol masterminding a plot to bring war on the other three Clans so that ShadowClan, and all other cats that joins their rankings, will own the lake."

Angry yowls broke out at that. Tails lashed and claws unsheathed. _ShadowClan is really asking for it. _I observed. _These cats aren't going to blow over as easily as they did. _I remembered my dream and felt that warm glow return just briefly. _They wouldn't win anyhow; we've got Starclan on our side._

"They plan to attack," Firestar called over his clanmates, "three nights from now, starting with us."

This time the Clan's anger was overwhelming.

"We can't let them do this!"

"Someone should talk to Blackstar!"

"We should attack now, when they're not expecting us!"

Firestar let out a piercing caterwaul, silencing everyone. "We will attack first, so as to stop ShadowClan before it even begins this war. But not now. There will be too many cats out in the territory for us to use the element of surprise. We will attack tonight, when the moon peaks in the sky!"

ThunderClan roared its support. Firestar let the cats howl for a moment and then raised his tail for silence. "Today will be used for training and hunting in preparation for tonight. We will need all of our strength if we are to win this battle."

Firestar continued raising everyone's confidence as my eyes drifted to the right. Hollyleaf, Lionblaze, and Jaypaw were all sitting side-by-side. Hollyleaf looked absolutely furious. Her black fur was all puffed out and her claws were biting deep into the sandy floor. Lionblaze was practically trembling with excitement. I could see he wasn't deterred by the prospect of battle at all. Jaypaw's face was unreadable, as usual. I blinked at him from where I sat, knowing that he couldn't feel my gaze.

I wished for that one moment that there was no stupid Clan law against medicine cats having mates, so that I could go over there and nose him and laugh and make him tell me what he was thinking about. I wanted to make the seriousness of the day disappear. I was so sucked into my daydream I barely caught my name echoing off the High Ledge.

I turned my head, "What?"

Firestar's whiskers twitched, "Come forward, Racepaw."

I flicked my ears. _What? Do you want me to testify what happened last night or something?_ I padded forward uneasily, Graystripe matching my steps. I looked at the faces of my clanmates as I passed by. Berrynose looked jubilant and Hazeltail gaze me a reassuring purr as I passed by. Icepaw looked slightly jealous but she batted at me playfully, her spirits high as usual.

Firestar jumped down from the High Ledge, coming to stand before me. He looked seriously at my mentor, "Graystripe, would you say that Racepaw has learned the ways of the warrior code and is ready to uphold it?"

Graystripe's voice was full of integrity, "I would."

A shiver ran down my spine. All of a sudden I _knew _what was going on.

Firestar raised his chin, "I, Firestar, leader of ThunderClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. She has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend her to you as a warrior in her turn." Firestar's blazing green eyes locked with my amber ones, "Racepaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend this Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

My heart jumped. _I didn't ever feel as if I would give my life for any cat but myself before I came to ThunderClan. This certainty I feel must mean that I'm __**meant**__ to be a Clan cat._

"I do," I growled clearly.

"Then by the powers of StarClan I give you your warrior came: Racepaw, from this moment on you will be known as Racewind. StarClan honors your integrity and your loyalty, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ThunderClan."

Firestar rested his muzzle on my chin and I licked his shoulder in response. _Integrity and loyalty? Those are heavy words to be used for a cat that's breaking the warrior code by being in love with a Medicine Cat. _

The Clan took up my new name. "Racewind! Racewind!" It echoed around the high cliffs of the hollow and drifted up into the sky, where it caught on the wind and flicked off toward WindClan territory. Graystripe gave me an approving purr and Icepaw whapped me with her tail.

"I knew you were going to be a warrior before me!" She growled light-heartedly.

She was pushed back as the rest of the Clan came to congratulate me. I nodded to each cat, feeling slightly overwhelmed by all of the attention. To my surprise, Jaypaw managed to nose his way through the crowd and touch noses with me.

"You're finally a warrior," he mewed. "No more mousebile for you!"

I purred happily, thinking of the horrid time I'd accidentally licked the nasty stuff. I opened my mouth to say something but Firestar's voice cut across the clamor.

"According to tradition a new warrior must sit silent vigil overnight. Because of the circumstances, Racewind will have her vigil today, from now until dusk."

I nodded importantly to my leader, locking my jaws closed.

Brambleclaw took care of the scheduling from there. He sent out a border patrol, a hunting patrol, and sent off all of the apprentices and what was left of the warriors to go out for battle practice. Everyone would switch position following sunhigh.

I started at battle practice. Now that I was a warrior, (although a mocking mute one), I was given a little more respect than was given to the apprentices. I got to train with Dustpelt and Brakenfur who both showed me a few new techniques that improved my fighting skills. Although I was pretty sure Dustpelt could've learned a few new tricks from Foxpaw, who "accidentally" tripped the senior warrior and sent him cascading into Brakenfur and Hollyleaf, causing a large pile up of warriors. It took all of my self control not to laugh out loud.

I left the training hollow dusty and weary. My lack of sleep was beginning to bite down on me. Once back at camp I took a mouse from the fully stocked fresh kill pile and settled down to eat. Icepaw came and kept me company, chattering on about what happened on hunting patrol, exactly what she thought of Sol and how she would cut off his pelt if he ever got under her claws, and other, less mentionable things.

Icepaw is the second cat in ThunderClan who surprised me. Foxpaw was pretty interesting, but he was more of the strong silent type, or so he had grown into. Icepaw got spunkier every day and her spirit never seemed to die. She could talk the entire day about anything without ever getting tired.

Our very one-sided conversation halted only because of the interference of Whitewing, who dragged the talkative she cat out to battle training. I sighed; most of the cats were out at the training hollow, preparing for the battle. So far, I hadn't been assigned to anything so I took my short down-time to rest my head on my paws and meditate on the bloody battle to come.

Surely some cats would lose their lives, due to wounds or death blows I wasn't entirely sure. But cats would die. Innocent cats.

_Sol isn't innocent, he's aware of what is happening. He knows that lots of cats may die. This could all be avoided if Sol was just killed off, then we don't have to worry about him in the future. Killing him during battle might be easiest, and then Blackstar might call off the attack entirely. He wasn't into the idea of war, obviously. Maybe I should tell Firestar that…but I can't speak! Well, Firestar won't go off killing innocent Clan cats anyhow. He's responsible. Don't worry about this Racewind; it'll all be taken care of. Just focused on not getting killed yourself. _

I think I dozed for a small amount of time, because Graystripe had to wake me up again to go on border patrol. We went by the WindClan border and nothing spectacular happened. Everyone was calming down by the time we got to camp. The sun was close to setting, and most cats were getting sleep while they still had time.

I stood a few tail-lengths away from the Medicine Cat den again, watching as the warriors and apprentices turned in for their short night of rest. A few cats still prowled around the clearing but gradually, as the sun bled its last few rays across the sky, all cats laid down to sleep.

Jaypaw came out of the den and flicked his tail in surprise at the sight of me. "You should be getting rest, Racewind." He scolded.

I shook my head and angled my ears where the sun was setting. _Not until the sun sets, when my vigil is over._

Jaypaw nodded with understanding and padded to the fresh kill pile. _Picking up food for Leafpool, _I mused.

He came back with a starling, a vole, and a muse hanging from his jaws. He disappeared inside the den and then came back a moment later. He dropped the vole in front of me. When I didn't immediately move on it his whiskers twitched, "I guess your waiting until the end of your vigil to eat, too?"

I didn't remove my eyes from the sky, watching as the stars slowly appeared. The moon was bright, it was close to full. _The Gathering will be soon. _

Once was sure that the sun was out of sight, I dipped my head down and chewed quietly on the vole. Jaypaw and I ate in silence; just enjoying each other's company. When we were done, Jaypaw licked his lips and said, "You're not still thinking about killing Sol, are you?"

I didn't flinch, "Not really. Although, I do think it would be more helpful to the forest if that mangy mongrel was killed." My claws pricked the sand beneath my paws. Jaypaw eyed my battle ready stance and then sighed.

"Remind me to tell you something later, after the battle and all of the wounds are healed." He flicked my shoulder with the tip of his tail. "But try your hardest _not _to kill Sol in the battle, okay?"

I swiveled my head around to stare at him, "Why not?"

Jaypaw's blind eyes somehow matched mine, "Just think of it as a favor. Promise me that you won't kill him. Chase him off, sure, but no killing."

I glared at the apprentice; _well of course I can't __**now!**_

"I promise," I swore evenly.

Jaypaw responded with a delicate touch on the nose, "Thank you. Now go get some sleep. Medicine cat's orders!"

I purred and stood up, shaking the stiffness out of my legs. I murmured farewell to Jaypaw and padded for the first time to the warriors den.

Berrynose lifted his head as I slipped into the warm, packed den. He motioned to a new nest between himself and Hazeltail. I blinked gratefully at the creamy tom and curled up in the soft moss, tucking my nose between my paws and falling asleep instantly. No Starclan warriors walked in my dreams, I guess I was given a night off.

I woke up to Berrynose nudging me gently. "Get up, Racewind. It's almost moon high."

I stood up; shaking the moss off my pelt and feeling my body begin to itch with anticipation at the coming battle. I stretched out, cracking a few bones. Berrynose gave me a few quick licks to get the moss dust off my shoulders. We trotted out of the den, entering the moonlight camp. I eyed my fellow clanmates; they were as tense and excited as I was.

Firestar started to address us, "Tonight we attack ShadowClan and remind them what it is like to have the force of Clan cats battling on all sides!"

Yowls of agreement rose over Firestar's voice, reaching up to Silverpelt. I stared up at the stars, wondering if Starclan would be fighting alongside us.

"We will remind them that StarClan, and all cats that live by the warrior code are the cats with real power around the lake! We will chase that flea-ridden rogue off of Clan territories for good, and teach him what it's like to feel the teeth of warrior cats!"

Every cat took up the howl for bloodshed. With those final words, Firestar took the lead out of camp, almost the entire Clan following behind him. I stuck to the back by Icepaw, loping easily through the foliage. I looked at the shadowed pelts of my fellow warriors, feeling a final sting of remorse before it was consumed by that same desire I had felt in my dream two nights ago.

_How many of them will by dead by dawn?_

**A/N- Will Racewind keep her promise to Jaypaw? Or will Sol seriously ask for it during the battle? Will the great and powerful Firestar lose a life in battle? Will ThunderClan be defeated and destroyed? Will Berrynose ever stop trying to win over Racewind's taken heart? Is Jaypaw the most adorable cat or what?**

**You're actually going to have to read the sequel to answer the second to last. The very last question I want you to answer in a review. I love you reviewers, you make me so happy. Especially when you tell me this is the best story for Warriors, because that makes me get all warm and fuzzy inside. There are other great warriors stories out there; you just have to look for them or give others a fair shot.**

**Also, I sincerely appreciate all of the Warrior names you submitted for Racepaw/wind. I almost didn't choose this one, because of Runningwind (why, WHY did he die??!!) and also because for awhile it didn't sound right to me until I thought of the phrase, "Race the Wind" when I was thinking about her dream before she was made a warrior. In the end it stuck. But thanks to ALL of you, you're amazingly helpful. **

**Anyway, the title of the sequel is on my profile, (I'm just too lazy to put it up here) and as to my Twilight fanfic I was talking about, I've decided to rewrite and complete my Max Ride fanfiction instead. My Twilight one is too similar to my own original story, so I'll have to come up with a new idea for that. **

**Anyway, please review. Two more chapters to go! (Plus the epilogue) **

**You won't believe who dies!**


	17. Chapter 17

Here Comes the Good Stuff

Icepaw was a good runner, but not a very fast one. I felt slightly guilty as I sped up and twisted through most of my clanmates, finally stopping just behind Brambleclaw. It felt good to hear the thrum of the ground beneath my paws, to leap over protruding roots and slither around tangled bushes. It was slightly frustrating when we stopped, just inside the tree line in front of the ThunderClan-ShadowClan border. Firestar turned around to face us, scanning the anxious warriors.

He flicked his tail at Hollyleaf, "Go scout ahead," he murmured. "See if there are any ShadowClan warriors about."

Hollyleaf nodded and padded forward. Sniffing the air carefully she leaped across the stream and disappeared into the black forest. _Why is it so dark? _I wondered.

Glancing up at the sky I saw several dark clouds covering most of the moon, letting only a sliver of its rays gleam on the lake. I flicked my ears. _Is that a symbol of protection, or a sign that StarClan is unhappy with the fight about to take place? _Shaking my head, I growled a little under my breath. _StarClan better suck it up. They should've taken care of this problem before we had to step in. _

Firestar was also eyeing the sky. He didn't look worried, although I could the fur on his neck rising a little.

"Brambleclaw," he mewed quietly.

The deputy moved to Firestar's side. "Yes, Firestar?"

"I want you to lead your patrol of cats around the back of ShadowClan's camp. I will take my patrol through the front entrance, when you hear my cry, that's when you attack."

Brambleclaw nodded. I kneaded the ground in anticipation. I was in Firestar's patrol going in first.

It seemed like ages before Hollyleaf returned, panting but undetected.

"They're all in camp, listening to Sol lecture," she gasped to Firestar. "It's the perfect time to attack."

Our leader nodded and then raised his tail, signaling all cats to stand. There were some contained growls and plenty of delighted tail-lashing. After looking out across the territory one last time, Firestar leaped forward, as silent as a hawk.

We crossed the stream without difficulty and padded softly through the pine forest. Here the trees towered higher then the ones in ThunderClan territory, with no cover around them. That made all of the warriors uneasy. Firestar followed Hollyleaf's scent through the forest until he finally spotted the camp.

I strained my ears and thought I could hear Sol's powerful yowl rising above the heavily enforced camp. I remembered what Hollyleaf said, _does he talk with the Clan every night at moon high? What kind of freak ritual is that?_

Brambleclaw slunk around the camp with his patrol, heading for the back of the ring of brambles. Firestar waited for a moment, giving Brambleclaw time to find an opening. My claws slid out into the peaty earth, crouching down low and waiting for the call to attack. Roaring excitement rushed through my body. A battle-cry bubbled up in my stomach.

Suddenly Firestar lashed his tail. He stood up and raced into ShadowClan's camp, a blood-curdling caterwaul escaping his lips. My own battle-cry joined his, along with the rest of ThunderClan's warriors. As we crashed into ShadowClan's camp I saw Brambleclaw and his patrol of warriors pounding through the camp walls, confusing and terrifying the ShadowClan cats even more as the watched ThunderClan close in on them on all sides.

I leaped at the closest warrior, a large brown tom, and tackled him to the ground. He twisted beneath me, trying to get a grip on my shoulders and haul me off. I bit down on his ear and slashed my claws down his belly. He screeched in pain and wiggled out of my grasp. I let go and let him run off, spitting out a clump of his fur.

A loud yowl was the only thing that alerted me before a long-haired tabby crashed into me, sending the two of us rolling over and over. She ended up above me and scraped sharp claws down my flank. Snarling I clawed at her face. I aimed for her eye and hit her muzzle. A spatter of blood sprayed across my face. She yelped and staggered off me.

I got up and leaped up on her back, raking my claws across her side and ripping out clumps of fur. She flipped over and tried to squish me under her heavy body but I was too quick. I detached my claws and leaped to the side and then back on her stomach, squashing the air out of her.

I fastened my teeth on her exposed shoulder, sinking them deep into the muscle until she yowled for mercy and ran off. Spitting I whipped around and saw a large black warrior on top of Icepaw. His long teeth were going down---aiming for her throat!

Hissing I leaped and bowled him over, lost in a fit of rage. I sliced him as best I could, snapping at his muzzle too. He managed to escape and crashed right into Ashfur, who tackled him to the ground and gave him even more wounds to think about.

I darted over to my friend. She was standing, thank StarClan, and wasn't bleeding too much. She raced over to where Foxpaw was being hit by two apprentices on both sides. I looked around, searching for another warrior who might be in trouble.

_Where's Sol? _

I turned around, searching for the disgusting cat that had started this mess. Brambleclaw was fighting fiercely with Russetfur over by Blackstar's den. As they rolled away I saw two pale yellow eyes watching the chaos from inside the den.

Growling I ran forward, leaping at those two eyes with my claws outstretched. Sol's eyes widened and his mouth opened in surprise right before I hit him. We both rolled back in the den, slashing each other with our claws and teeth.

_Don't kill him, _I remembered Jaypaw's request.

_Fine, I'll just rip his pelt off. _

Sol was more powerful than I expected. He rolled me over on my back, raking his claws across my chest and belly. Spitting, I struggled to get the crazy cat off me. I wiggled fiercely until he finally released me, thinking that I was going to run off.

I did run, but I ran at the wall of the den, hit it with my paws, and turned in mid-air to launch myself at him. My attack caught the loner off guard. I managed to get him down on the ground and rip open one of his pretty little ears. Sol managed to wrestle me off and throw me half-way across the den.

"You're a strong young warrior," he panted.

"No talking," I snapped. "I'm here to chase your pathetic rogue body off of clan territory."

Sol bared his teeth at me and we went at it again. "You're fighting for a bunch of dead cats," Sol hissed in my ear. "Can't you see how pointless that is?"

I pushed up, wrenching him off of my back. "No," I hissed. "I'm fighting for a bunch of live cats back in ThunderClan!"

Sol growled, "You're a soft-brained clan cat! You don't know what to fight for!"

"I'm a hard-headed warrior, Sol," I spat. "And I'm going to claw your worthless pelt off!"

We both screeched and went at it again. But now my energy was wearing. The constant battle was really sapping my strength and Sol was a big cat, almost twice my size. It didn't take long before he pinned me down again, panting but victorious.

I let my body go limp. _I'll go fetch Lionblaze and he can help me chase this guy out. _It made my pelt itch to have to go fetch help, but it was either that or collapse with exhaustion because I was too stubborn for my own good.

"Oh no you don't, little kitty," Sol growled in my ear. "I'm not going to let you go just so that you can run off and fetch all of your little warrior friends. This ends here!" Sol leaned down and fastened his teeth around my throat. I scrabbled uselessly beneath his body but I couldn't move him.

As the air started to squeeze out of my chest as Sol's long fangs bit down slowly on my throat. I let out a wordless yowl, _Great StarClan not here! Not now! _

_Why isn't anyone coming to the rescue?_

Darkness tinged the edges of my vision. There was no doubt about it, I was going to die. Sheer disappointment flared in my belly. I would have been a good warrior.

**-ThunderClan Camp-**

Jaypaw curled around in his nest a few times. Leafpool and her apprentice had spent the whole day collecting cobwebs and herbs for the wounded warriors when they got back from the battle. Racewind was safely sleeping in her nest, so far unharmed.

_She better not get hurt too badly, _Jaypaw growled in his head. _Or else I'll slip some mousebile on her food once she's all better. She knows better than to get hurt and worry me. _

Thinking affectionately of Racewind calmed Jaypaw down significantly, especially after his small fight with Leafpool earlier that morning that had soured the day for him. Leafpool still refused to give him his medicine cat name, and it made Jaypaw feel as if she didn't trust him. He hoped that after the battle she would see how well he took care of the injured cats and would give him his name the next half-moon.

Sighing sleepily he closed his eyes and eased into a deep slumber. It took him a few moments to realize he could hear something. Pricking up his ears curiously he strained to hear the sound. Slowly he zeroed in on it. There were distant, muddled battle sounds around him. Cats screeching in pain, yowling to their fellow comrades, hissing and spitting with fury. He glazed through it all, finding the one that stood out most to him.

Suddenly, there it was! Clear as day to him. The yowl started out small but slowly climbed in volume. It was a cry for help, clear and true. Jaypaw's blood turned to ice as the long wail dwindled away as the cat was pulled under by the claws of death. His claws sunk deep into the earth and his heart tore itself into flea-sized pieces.

_Racewind!_

Jaypaw leaped up out of his nest in the medicine cat den, covered in moss and panting.

"Jaypaw?" Leafpool called sleepily from the cleft in the wall where she slept. "Are you all right?"

Jaypaw shook his head and tore out of the den, racing for the camp entrance. Daisy called out after him but he ignored the Queen. His paws felt like they were gifted with wings as he ran through the moonlight forest.

It took him a minute to realize it, but it slowly dawned on him that he could _see! _He _saw_ the trees whipping past him as he thundered through the undergrowth in the direction of the ShadowClan border. He _saw_ the stream beneath him as he jumped over it, not missing a beat as he landed heavily on the other bank and continued on into the pine wood forest.

All that really programmed in his mind right now was that that screech he heard in his dream was his lovely Racewind's and she was going to die at the clutches of some grimy ShadowClan cat unless he did something about it. He followed ThunderClan's thick scent until he could see and hear the battle going on in the rival Clan's camp.

Jaypaw thundered through the ransacked camp entrance and stopped breifly, searching for Racewind's light, dust and honey colored fur. He couldn't see her through the throbbing mob of fighting cats, but pricking his ears Jaypaw caught the beginnings of that yowl he heard in his dream coming from a hollowed out den beneath a large tree in the corner of camp.

Jaypaw practically flew over to the den and threw himself at the black shape hovering over a weak cat. Snarling, Jaypaw bit down on the cat's neck and raked his claws down Sol's lean body with the strength and fury of ten Clan leaders.

Sol screeched in pain and released Racewind. Jaypaw continued ripping off Sol's pelt until the tom finally managed to shake him off and sprint out of the den. Coughing and panting, Jaypaw picked himself up and padded over to Racewind's side.

Her neck fur was heavily matted with blood and her breathing was quick and shallow. Not knowing what else he could do Jaypaw pressed his nose to the wound, giving it a light lick and whispering, "You're not allowed to leave me yet, Racewind."

There was moment of complete silence. _Please StarClan, let my powers work. I won't be able to live without her._

Racewind's breathing began to get stronger and her wound, actually _all _of her wounds started to heal. Jaypaw' gasped slightly and felt joy burst in his heart. _She was going to live!_

Jaypaw kept his nose to her neck until all of her wounds were sealed. Purring happily Jaypaw closed his eyes. When he opened them again he saw nothing. He was blind, again.

"Wha-_where is that mangy piece of crowfood?!_" Racewind leaped up from where she was lying, her fur fluffed up twice her size.

I heard Jaypaw's relieved laugh and fell into a deep bout of confusion. "J-Jaypaw?" I stuttered. "What in Starclan's name are you doing here?"

And then I remembered Sol, pinning me down and crushing my neck with his powerful jaws. The darkness swelling up behind my eyes, the unimaginable pain…

"You…saved me," I realized, sitting down.

"I had a dream," Jaypaw admitted, although I could tell he was delighted I was still alive. "And Racewind, you won't believe this! On the trip here I could _see!"_

"You could?" I gasped, "How is that possible?"

Jaypaw shrugged, "How is it possible that you don't have a single scratch on you?"

"Point taken." I paused and listened to the still fighting cats outside. Then above it all I heard a deep throaty yowl.

"Cats of ShadowClan, ThunderClan is attacking because they are threatened by your might. They are so cowardly as to sneak into your camp at the dead of night and attack even the smallest of kits!"

A flash of hot anger swept through my fur, _ThunderClan wouldn't attack kits!_

"Drive them out of your territory! Show them that you will not be beaten!"

Resounding yowls of agreement rose up with Sol's last words and the fighting continued, even more vicious than before. I stood up and prepared to go out and finish my fight with Sol. I was fully healed now and all of my former energy was returning. All we needed to do was show ShadowClan that Sol was not the all-powerful cat that he was by making him bite the dust.

"Wait," Jaypaw's tail on my shoulder halted me. "Where do you think you are going?"

I growled impatiently, "To go win my fight. Thank you for saving me Jaypaw but I really _have _to do this."

Jaypaw pulled back his lips, "No you don't! Don't go and fight to the death again! Sol will be attacked by some other warrior who matches him in size. The odds aren't on your side, Racewind!"

"But I'm ThunderClan's aid, remember?" I retorted, trying to bring the prophecy in on my side. "And this has to be taken care of _now_."

"You're _ThunderClan's _aid, not ShadowClan's!"

"Driving off Sol will help ThunderClan, won't it?"

Jaypaw took a deep breath in and hissed, "You're _not _ThunderClan's aid, all right?"

I froze, staring at him.

Jaypaw took another steadying breath and said more calmly, "Look, I told Firestar that so that he would keep you around. The truth is…well, I can walk into other cats dreams. You know that. The night you fell off the cliff I healed you in your dream. I stopped you from going wherever rogues go where they die and when I woke up you were all healed, for the most part. I thought that…" he trailed off, looking down at his paws.

"You thought that if I stuck around you could do it again, in real life." I finished clearly. Jaypaw nodded.

_You've…lied to me? All this time I've been filling my head with stupid dreams about saving ThunderClan from a burning forest and earning myself clan legacy but that was just…a complete lie. All caused by you! _

"Why didn't you tell me this before?" I said, surprised that my voice sounded totally neutral.

Jaypaw shrugged, "I never thought that…it would become this important."

I held my breath for a moment, listening to the calls of cats beyond this earthy den, and let out my breath slowly. I stood up and went to stand at Jaypaw's shoulder.

"I can feel what I have to do, Jaypaw. Even if it's self-induced I truly believe that _I'm _the one who has to drive out Sol. I don't know why, maybe it's because of my ego, but _I _have to do it." Carefully I took another breath. "Please don't lie to me again."

With that I stood up and bounded out of the den. Immediately my eyes fixed on Sol, his back turned to me and only a fox length away. I bunched up my legs and took a flying leap. My sharp claws hit his shoulders. He yelped in surprise but couldn't resist the force of my impact.

We rolled over and over again until we were in the center of the fighting. I had him pinned beneath me. Feeling oddly cold, I started pummeling his underbelly with my back legs, snapping my teeth over his ears and slicing my front claws across his chest.

Sol yowled so loud that some of the ShadowClan cats around us actually stopped to look. I kept going, my attack getting fiercer as the bloodlust. At last I sensed that Sol was done resisting and I stopped my shredding. I let him slither under my paws and limp a few steps away, where he stopped and looked at me.

"Amazing," he panted. "You're still alive."

"It's the work of Starclan!" I declared, loud enough so that most of the cats around me stopped fighting to listen.

"I was close to the edge of death and then one of our warrior ancestors brought me back. I assumed so that I could rip off your pelt." I narrowed my eyes, glaring at my fallen enemy.

Sol looked at me in disbelief, for once lost for words.

"Sol," Blackstar stepped forward, a look of resentment in those clear blue eyes. "Do you want to deny this?"

Sol glared at Blackstar and got heavily to his paws, "Of course I don't!" he snarled. "I practically killed this crazy she-cat, you stupid bag of bones!"

There were gasps from the crowd of cats. Blackstar's lips curled back in an angry snarl. His long claws unsheathed and he padded threateningly towards Sol.

"Get off of ShadowClan territory, you piece of crowfood," Blackstar snapped. "If I ever see a whisker of you I'll kill you myself!"

Sol sneered at him but began to back up. Slowly the cornered cat looked around, eyeing the hostile faces of all the ShadowClan cats.

"Fine! Fine!" Sol declared. "I'll leave." But then he fixed his eyes on me. "I'll see your kin again, she-cat. And then I'll give him the same kind of courtesy you gave me."

I hissed and leapt at him, making him yelp and streak off through the broken camp wall and off into the territory.

Feeling successful I joined Icepaw where she was standing, ragged but not badly hurt, and pried Sol's fur out of my claws.

"Blackstar," Firestar said, meeting the other leader in the center of camp. "ShadowClan needs time to rebuild. ThunderClan will trouble you no longer."

Blackstar met his rival's eyes and dipped his head in agreement, "Although I do not feel the need to thank you for attacking my camp." Blackstar growled, "I do thank you for…generosity. ShadowClan will not cause harm to you either, until the next full moon."

Firestar dipped his head in respect and signaled for his warriors to leave.

Just as I stood up a heart-wrenching wail of grief echoed around the camp, forcing every cat to flinch. My eyes widened and my fur fluffed out.

That wail belonged to Jaypaw.

**-Just a few minutes ago-**

Jaypaw felt intensely guilty and embarrassed for lying to Racewind. He trusted her completely and now she had reason not to trust him. He scrabbled out of the den, feeling sore around his shoulders where he had hit the ground after Sol had thrown him off.

He sat beside the den, listening to the sounds of battle. A thought struck him suddenly.

_It's probably not safe to just be standing here-_

All of a sudden he was hit from the side and thorn-sharp claws were raking themselves down his side. Desperately Jaypaw flailed his paws, trying to remember his brief warrior training. But he was pinned down by the heavy tom cat and no matter how much he scrambled Jaypaw could not get out from underneath the tom's claws.

Just as suddenly as it had come the warrior was gone. The smell told Jaypaw that another ThunderClan cat had taken the liberty of saving his pelt. Jaypaw scrambled to his paws and listened to the growls of the warrior that had helped him, assuming it was wither Hollyleaf or Lionblaze.

But the growl caught him by surprise, it was neither his bother nor sister—it was Leafpool!

Leafpool was fighting viciously with the ShadowClan warrior, Jaypaw could tell. Uncertainly he unsheathed his claws, praying to StarClan that when he leaped he hit the other warrior.

But just as he was about to attack Leafpool's growl turned into a shriek of pain. Snarling Jaypaw leaped forward without thinking and knocked the ShadowClan warrior aside, hissing ferociously. The ShadowClan warrior backed away, startled by Jaypaw's anger.

Jaypaw sniffed his way over to his mentor's side.

"Leafpool?" he murmured. He could smell a large amount of blood draining from four deep scratches in her neck. The wound was most definitely fatal.

_Not if I can heal her it isn't!_

"Racewind!" Jaypaw yowled over his shoulder. _There's no way she can hear me above all this noise!_

Desperate, Jaypaw yowled her name again. Leafpool's weak mew brought his attention around.

"It's no use, Jaypaw," Leafpool rasped. "I'm too far gone. You can't heal me. This is what StarClan wants."

Jaypaw gaped at her in horror, "N-No! Leafpool, please—" what could he possibly say? Jaypaw stuffed his nose into her soft fur, feeling sorrow melt off his body in waves. "You can't _leave me_." He whined.

Leafpool's tongue lightly rasped over his shoulder. "It'll be all right little one, I trust you. You will be one of the greatest medicine cats in ThunderClan history. Now, before I go, there is only one last thing I can do for you."

Jaypaw pulled back, his mind blank with pain.

Leafpool lifted her eyes to the starry sky and rasped, "I call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on my apprentice. He has trained many moons under me to become a medicine cat and I have taught him all that I know." Leafpool fixed her glimmering eyes, so full of strength, on Jaypaw who was in shock.

"Jaypaw, do you promise to uphold the ways of a medicine cat, to stand apart from the rivalry between Clan and Clan, and to protect all cats equally, even at the cost of your life?"

Jaypaw shivered but his answer was strong and sincere, "I do."

Leafpool's eyes shone with pride, "Then by the powers of StarClan I give you your true name as a medicine cat. Jaypaw, from this moment you will be known as Jayfeather." Jayfeather dipped his head and licked Leafpool's shoulder. She rested her chin on his head and whispered, "You will be great, Jayfeather. Protect ThunderClan for me."

Jayfeather nodded, swallowing in an attempt to dislodge the horrible lump in his throat. Leafpool looked at him and her eyes glazed over. Jayfeather flinched, deterred by the sudden intensity she was feeling. She began to speak, so quietly that Jayfeather had to lean close to her mouth to hear.

"_Secrets must be unearthed, origins must be discovered, and the courage of the ancients must be found for the two Saviors to chase back the shadows so that the Three can lock away the mighty power of evil below the lake."_

Leafpool sighed and closed her eyes. Jayfeather stared blindly at her felt as her last breath left her body in a warm cloud. Jayfeather let out a low whine which escalated into a yowl of grief. He felt like he'd lost the world. Leafpool was dead, his beloved mentor! How could he get through the battle wounds, the trip to the Moonpool, and facing his clanmates without her?

After a moment Jayfeather realized that the whole camp was quiet. Summoning up his strength he turned in the direction of the cats and followed Firestar's scent until he stood before his leader.

"Jaypaw," Firestar mewed worriedly. "What's wrong?"

"Jayfeather now," the medicine cat corrected. "Firestar, Leafpool is dead." Jayfeather plowed on past Firestar's gasp of shock. "We need to get the injured cats back now, before they bleed too much or else we will have unessescary losses. We can grieve for Leafpool back at camp."

Jaypaw could sense many feelings of pain and grief coming from Firestar, but he couldn't stop to help his Clan leader yet. Right now he had to get all of the injured cats back safely in camp. Jayfeather walked over to where he smelled Racewind.

"Racewind, I need you to help me with patching up the cats. And Icepaw too, if you're not too tired."

"We'll, do it," Racewind murmured. Jayfeather nodded and walked over to the cats he felt were in the most pain. Thornclaw, Hollyleaf, and Ashfur seemed to be the worst of the bunch. The fact that his sister was badly hurt didn't faze Jayfeather too much, he sent the three of them off with a few cats to help them back to ThunderClan camp. Blackstar murmured a few words of apologies to Firestar's loss. That didn't help although Jayfeath grudgingly admired the ShadowClan leader for saying anything about it. He wasn't so bad after all.

Squirrelflight and Brambleclaw barried Leafpool's body back to camp. On the long trek home Jayfeather sniffed over every one of his clanmates, getting the gist of how bad everyone's wounds were.

As soon as the three most injured cats were in his den, Jayfeather started to try and patch up Ashfur. The tom had suffered a deep slice to the belly and many bad cuts along his flanks. As Jayfeather sniffed over the warrior he realized that he probably couldn't save him. Ashfur had lost too much blood. Feeling determined Jayfeather called over Racewind. She pressed her flank against him and then Jayfeather touched Ashfur's back.

Nothing happened.

Sighing tiredly, Jayfeather gave him two poppy seeds to ease the pain until he joined StarClan and moved on to Hollyleaf. His sister was unconscious and had lost a lot of blood. Afraid that he would lose her too, Jayfeather quickly cleaned her wounds, put a poultice of marigold to fight back infection, and swathed her wounds with cobwebs. Just to be sure he motioned Racewind over and insta-healed her for just a second. It would look suspicious if all of her wounds healed overnight.

He did virtually the same thing to Thornclaw who wasn't as bad as Hollyleaf and didn't need any insta-healing. At least his breathing was even, not like Hollyleaf's. After making sure that the other two cats were alive and sleeping soundly Jayfeather made his way outside with some herbs and plenty of cobwebs.

Racewind brought out Ashfur's body. Jayfeather could sense Firestar was bleak with pain at losing a valuable warrior and his daughter in the same night. Jayfeather prayed silently to Starclan that no other cats would die. Jayfeather sent Icepaw and Racewind to put Dock juice and cobwebs on the lesser injured cats while Jayfeather put a poutice of Goldenrod on the deeper injuries.

Jayfeather worked efficiently and quickly, making sure that every cat who was injured would have a sure chance of waking up in the morning. It was almost dawn by the time Jayfeather finished his work. He went into his den to check on his patients, found them sleeping quite soundly, and then went back out to the camp.

Firestar, Sandstorm, Squirrelflight, Ferncloud, and Berrynose were all sitting vigil for Leafpool and Ashfur. Their wounds were clean and Jayfeather could sense exhaustion coming from each of them. He too wanted to sit vigil for his beloved mentor but knew that he had to get his sleep. A lot of cats would be waking up stiff with pain and he had two very weak cats in his den to watch over.

So Jayfeather settled with walking over to his mentor and licking her cold fur. He murmured softly next to her ear, "I will never forget what you have taught me. I will see in the ranks of Starclan."

With that Jayfeather reminded the grieving cats to get some sleep after the burial and then padded back to his den. He stopped uncertainly in front of the rock cleft. _Should he sleep in Leafpool's nest?_

It seemed too soon. Shaking his head he curled up in his nest only a tail-length away from Hollyleaf and Thornclaw. As he closed his tired eyes he heard another cat walk into his den. Sighing slightly he lifted his head and looked in the direction of the cat.

"Yes?"

Racewind's warm scent washed over him. She leaned down and licked his ear, "Someone needs to check up on the medicine cat."

Jayfeather purred softly, adjusting so that Racewind could curl up comfortably beside him.

"What if some cat walks in?" Jayfeather murmured, already falling asleep.

"We'll tell them that I was watching Hollyleaf and Thornclaw and I fell asleep."

"M'kay…"

"Jayfeather?"

"Hmm?"

"I love you."

Jayfeather's heart swelled, and for the first time that whole night he felt happy.

"I love you too."

**A/N- TA DAA!! This was supposed to be two chapters, stopping at Jayfeather's wail of grief but I didn't want to stop so I just made this chapter extra long. Let's see…I killed Leafpool, Ashfur, who knows what's going to happen to Hollyleaf. I haven't decided yet...well, please don't hate me. This all leads into the SEQUEL which is completely different and has nothing to do with Sol as the bad guy. **

**The epilogue is here too, and you really need to read it because it explains all loose ends and technically starts the sequel. My author's note there will be extra long, giving you the down-low on things. **

**And yes, the last thing that Leafpool said, (it was in italics) was the prophecy for the next story. I read this quickly so it went fast for me, I hope it was too shabby to you guys. :D**

**Review please.**


	18. Epilogue

I Wonder…So Many Things

I sat at the very top of the ThunderClan's slice of the territory around the lake. My back was to the body of water and facing the endless moors stretching out beyond Clan territories. Rogue country. Sharp wind buffeted my fur, forcing me to narrow my eyes against it.

At least things were warming up. Leaf-bare had passed and ThunderClan had survived, like the many generations before it. Although two warriors were missing from our proud ranks.

Ashfur and Hollyleaf both died due to the great battle with ShadowClan. Ashfur died before anyone had hopes of saving him and Hollyleaf took with sudden fever and infection. She died three days after the battle, on the night of the full moon. Jayfeather and Lionblaze grieved for her all night.

_Jayfeather. _He was faring quite well. It's been three moons since Leafpool and Hollyleaf's deaths' but he was sane, and happy. It was the most I could really ask for. Now it was no longer unusual for the two of us to go off with each other to gather herbs. He didn't have an apprentice to help him and I dreaded the day that he got one. I enjoyed out play fights way too much.

But now that I'm up here, looking out over the land I used to bound endlessly over, as fast as the wind, racing the birds in the sky, I almost miss doing it. The total freedom, the wind in my fur, no responsibilities or cats to worry about.

Those were the days.

I sighed sadly, following a small bird flutter over the moor land. _I wonder if I could just stand up, stretch my legs, and run. Just race away from here and go far away. Never look back. Fend for myself; maybe find some other cats to hook up with. We could be a band of traveling rogues. I could teach them some hunting and fighting techniques I learned here and…and teach them the warrior code. Start my own Clan. I'll call it…RogueClan. Or RaceClan, after me. _

I purred in amusement at the thought and shook my head. _It's too soon for it to hurt, right? It's too soon. It won't hurt to run._

"I wouldn't mind, you know."

I stifled a screech of fright and spun around. I was surprised to see Jayfeather sitting on my side. He laid his tail on my shoulder.

"Be calm. It's all right."

I breathed in deeply, flattening my fur down. "Don't do that," I hissed crossly.

Jayfeather chuckled. Then he sighed. "Really Racewind, you could leave. Go away and never come back. I could tell the Clan that…I don't know, StarClan called you away or something. You had to do a secret mission, maybe? Then, if you really want to, you could come back. It's that easy."

I stared at Jayfeather. I shook my head, "No way. I love you too much, there's no way I could leave."

Jayfeather sighed happily, "I'm glad you love me. I love you too. Don't leave me, please."

Shaking my head I looked nervously at my paws. "Don't worry about it. I can't now."

Jayfeather rested his chin on my head. He was warm, which was a nice change from the cold wind.

"You know that prophecy?" I mewed suddenly, desperate to lighten my mood. "The one Crookedstar gave me before the battle. _One life for many or many lives for the sake of one?_"

Jayfeather nodded, "Sure. What about it?"

"Well, I think I figured it out. I fulfilled it when I chased Sol out. If you think symbolically, Sol was my old rogue life. To tell you the truth I kind of kept my rogue spirit even after I became an apprentice. It was when I became a warrior that I truly wanted to give up my rogue…qualities. Symbolically, if I hadn't driven Sol out it would have been the same as being a selfish rogue because I would have let other cats get hurt, even die, because I didn't want to lift a paw against him. My old life for many, or keep my old life and sacrifice a bunch of cats. See?"

Jayfeather twitches his tail, "You're too philosophical and you're not even in StarClan yet," he growled. I purred and pressed my muzzle to his shoulder. Again we were silent.

"You know," I started slowly. "Ever since you told me about the power of three prophecy, and that savior one that Leafpool told you before she…you know."

Jayfeather nodded.

"I'm just thinking that everything's too complicated. How many other cats is there that could possibly be the third? Firestar doesn't have any other kin."

"Actually," Jayfeather interrupted. "Whitewing is going to have kits. She told me this morning that she thought she would and I found out that she was right."

I stiffened, "Whitewing's father is—"

"Cloudtail who is Firestar's nephew," Jayfeather finished decidedly. "I'm pretty sure that the other cat will be one of her kits."

I nodded stiffly.

"But I don't know which two kits are the 'saviors'." Jayfeather murmured. "I assume it's got to be two of the other kits, but I don't know which two."

"Maybe our two," I blurted out.

The air stilled. I stared out straight ahead, stiff and nervous. I hadn't meant to tell him like that.

Jayfeather turned slowly to look at me. I found it hard to meet a blind cats eyes'.

"Our…"

"Kits," I squeaked.

Jayfeather swayed. "Great StarClan, you're going to have _kits_!"

I ducked my head. "I'm sorry…"

Jayfeather burst into joyful and amused purrs. "No, this is _great!" _He growled happily, nosing me affectionately.

I purred hard, feeling totally relieved. _I just can't tell anyone who the father is. Most of the Clan will probably assume they're Berrynose's. Hopefully he'll keep his mouth shut. Everything will be fine._

Everything, of course, wasn't _really _fine but you know; Jayfeather was nosing me. And I'm a generally cheerful cat. My kits would be okay, no matter what kind of prophecy pursued them through the forest.

Mostly because, I'll be right there with them.

**A/N- Yippee!! It's finally OVER!!!! Racing is done! Finite! Gone! Let's celebrate!**

**Well, this story is done, now I get to start on the sequel. It's called Invincible and yes, it is about her two kits and mostly from their points of view. I'm sorry but I've already chosen all of their names, so no poll this time around. This sequel is my creation of the next series of Warriors, TECHNICALLY. **

**Obviously my story has some alterations (i.e. - Racewind). Hopefully Invincible won't be harassed too badly by The Forth Apprentice when it comes out. If worst comes to worst, (which it will) I will give Ivykit and Dovekit their warrior names in my story before Erin Hunter does. Sorry, but that's the way it works. And once I name them I'm NOT changing it. **

**Also, as you can tell, there was a time warp. Whitewing and Racewind are pregnant at about the same time. I wanted the four kits (haha, FORTH apprentice) to grow up together. I'm kind of nervous though, because the forth apprentice doesn't come out until….(gaspeth) NOVEMBER 24****TH****???!!!**

**Flying Firestar's!!!! **

**Sorry guys but I'm going to have to completely make up Dovekit and Ivykit's personalities which makes me totally unhappy because then the book's going to come out and everything's going to be WRONG…**

**But it's not really about those two. It's about Racewind's kits and their discovery of secrets, origins, and courage. This story is going to be EPIC man. I am in no way kidding you. Please bear with me when it comes to Dovekit and Ivykit. I guess I'll take their character's by their names…Dovekit's sweet and Ivykit's prickly! **

**Please tell your friends about my story if they're on fanfiction. I want lots of people to read Invincible and Racing. I won't be making a sequel to Invincible. Sorry. I'll be writing another warriors story after that, this one has no original characters in it thrown into the Clans. It's about Smokepaw, the ShadowClan apprentice who should be DEAD but magically resurrected himself secretly after he fell through that hole in the earth. **

**Did you guys notice that? He's still ALIVE! He even has an APPRENTICE!!! (You can look through the books, he's Smokefoot now. He died in Dawn, I think. His apprentice is….Owlpaw) **

**So I'll be writing his story later. I don't really care if any of you steal that idea (although I will be extremely unhappy with you) because I'll just write it anyway. Haha. **

**Please review you guys. To all of my reviewers, I LOVE YOU!! Except this guy:**

**Mac**

**Your review was: ****jaypaws fund his power in book 1 he can enter other cats dreams**

**That's word for word, I swear. Anyway, that's what got me on the whole, "Don't tell me things I already know," rant. Thank you, "mac" for your review but it was generally unhelpful. **

**Also, there's one person who I just want to ask a simple question. **

**To Dorsi's Quill: WHAT IS YOUR ISSUE???!!**

**I **_**tried **_**to make Racewind NOT the center of attention the chapter AFTER you first reviewed (although that's kind of difficult seeing as she's the MAIN CHARACTER) and then you go on, say you hate her, and that Jayfeather and some "loony" (what? who?) make you sick. **

**You are so generally unhelpful it makes me want to rip out my hair. I mean, if you had constructively said that Racewind is too much in your face and at least explained your problem with Jayfeather and "the loony" (whoever that is) then I wouldn't have minded and I wouldn't be yelling right now. But seriously, your review made me mad and upset because you don't explain your comments. **

**Everyone else who is on the list below, I love you to the ends of the earth. Thank you for making this story my first success on fanfiction. I hope that you love the sequel too, and even if you don't, please don't tell me. I'm a writer, not a brick wall. **

**Thanks to:**

**Balverine**

**Nani Kakau**

**AirKing**

**JoBro1998**

**Golden Fox**

**Cinnamonpool**

**Cloudshika**

**Duskstripe**

**Gabo 1602**

**EdwardisAllMine**

**RoseblossomWarrior**

**LostInThoughtOxo **

**cadence95**

**VeridianRose**

**Loopygirl33**

**PurpleWolfer**

**Spiritpelt **

**Lightkit (your reviews always made me laugh)**

**CrystalDarkness-331**

**Flamestreak64**

**Becca**

**Amy**

**Storylover**

**Moonstream-Sunstripe**

**Jaggedwing**

**Echosight**

**Flametail**

**Lil' Orange Cat in the Shadows**

**Ryuchie**

**May Emerald**

**SnowsongIsAJaypawFan**

**NewProphecy**

**Nightrose**

**Swiftpaw of WindClan**

**Mosspath1440**

**Snowcloud**

**Fictionlover14**

**Swiftpaw**

**Carmine**

**Nightshimmer**

**H**

**Warriorchicky96**

**Icefall of MountainClan**

**Stormrush (the sequel's called Invincible)**

**Grasspaw (love your name, not entirely sure why but I do)**

**Silverstripe**

**Moonstream-Warrior**

**Silverdew of ThunderClan**

**So that's it, for all the people who reviewed before I posted chapter seventeen. If you're new and reviewed after that, I'm sorry you're not up here but the love extends to you. ******


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